Projects
Frances Chase
Head of Projects
Frances has recently joined the team as Head of Projects at the NNF, she has over 5 years of senior management experience and several years of project management experience. She joins us from the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI), where she was Head of the National Herbarium of Namibia (WIND). Prior to that she worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in the UK for 10 years as an Assistant Botanist and later a Botanist/Curator in Africa and Madagascar Regional Team. Her background is botany, mainly in herbarium management and plant taxonomy but also has a broad knowledge the plant ecology and plant conservation. She enjoys fieldwork and has worked in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Namibia. She holds an MSc in Plant Diversity from Reading University and a degree in Environmental Science and Geography with honors in Physical Geography from Rhodes University. Frances has always had an interest in the environment and conservation and more recently a passion for plant conservation, environmental education, and alien plant awareness creation.
Frances is based at the Windhoek office.

Allen Jiji
Senior Regional Project Coordinator | Projects
Allen is based at the Rundu office..

Clemens Naomab
Senior Regional Project Coordinator | Projects
Clemens studied Environmental Biology and Molecular Physiological Biology at the University of Namibia. His main responsibility as Regional Project Coordinator is to provide Administrative, Logistical & Technical support to the targeted conservancies under various donor-funded CBNRM support projects in the South Kunene and Erongo Regions. Previously Clemens worked as an Albatross Task Force (ATF) project coordinator and was responsible for advancing policy changes in Namibian fisheries to bring Namibia in line with current best practices for avoiding or reducing seabird bycatch in fishing operations. He is passionate about rural woman empowerment and community development. Hobbies: Playing football and Nature walks.
Clemens is based at the Walvis Bay office.
Juliette Perche
Environmental Economist | Projects
Juliette has a background in economic policy and environmental economics. She has worked on various issues pertaining to climate change, resilience, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development as a research assistant and a consultant in project design and evaluation. She holds an MSc in International Economic Policy from SciencesPo (France), and an MSc (honors) in Environmental Economics and Climate change from the London School of Economics. She is passionate about the complexity of combining biodiversity conservation and economic development and understanding what benefits people best in the long term. She is NNF's latest fellow from the Overseas Development Institute.
Julitte is based in the Windhoek office.

Mirja Stoldt
Technical Coordinator | Projects
Mirja holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business Management from the Berlin School of Economics and Law (Germany) and the ESC Rennes School of Business (France) as well as a Master of Science in Integrated Natural Resource Management of the Humboldt University Berlin, where she specialized in land and water, as well as biodiversity and conservation management. She enjoys scientific research, field studies, and project-orientated work and loves to work with a vibrant team dedicating their energy towards the conservation of natural resources and the empowerment of people. Mirja joined the NNF as a trainee in January 2019 before becoming an Assistant Project Coordinator providing technical support to the director.
Mirja is based in the Windhoek office.

Nabot Mbeeli
CBNRM Coordinator | Projects
Nabot has a background in environmental education, community engagement, and research with communities in the south, particularly the Hardap region, and the central north regions of Namibia, working on environmental awareness, sustainability, and climate change adaptation. He joined NNF in July 2017 as an intern and worked his way up to become a Project Coordinator. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) Degree in Environmental Biology and Geology from the University of Namibia (UNAM), and a Masters Degree in Natural Resources Management at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). He is passionate about nature and enjoys working with the culturally rich and diverse communities of Namibia. He is responsible for CBNRM in the Omaheke region, supporting sustainable Devil's Claw harvesting in the region. He is also leading the NamPower - NNF Strategic Partnership. Nabot is based at the Windhoek office.

Samantha Matjila
Marine Coordinator | Projects
Samantha studied Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Namibia (2011) and completed her Masters in Animal Sciences (study on snoek (Thyrsites atun) quality) at Stellenbosch University (2015). She started working for the NNF in May 2016 as an Albatross Task Force (ATF) Instructor conducting at-sea activities by monitoring and collecting seabird bycatch data. Her work also included creating awareness to the fishing crew, school children, and the public on the importance of protecting and conserving seabirds and provide training to fisheries observers and inspectors. Samantha then moved to Albatross Task Force Coordinator in 2018 and has now moved to start taking on the Marine Coordinator role still working on ATF as well as a project on securing a management plan for the Namibian Islands Marine Protected Area (NIMPA). Samantha is well versed in the operations and functioning of the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and has been well exposed to international aspects of marine conservation.
Samantha is based at the Windhoek office.

Titus Shaanika
ATF Coordinator | Projects
Titus holds a Masters in Zoology. He previously worked as a consultant with the NNF and ATF in 2015. His current role with the ATF Namibia project started in February 2018. He is based in Walvis Bay as an ATF Instructor. His work entails monitoring seabird bycatch within the Namibian demersal hake trawl and longline fleet, testing, and demonstrating mitigation measures to reduce seabird bycatch with the fishing companies and fishery as a whole.
Titus is based at the Walvis Bay office.

Ulrica Abrahams
Contracts and Compliance Manager | Operations
Ulrica Abrahams joined the NNF team in February 2018 as a Project Administrator. She has over 10 years of experience as an administrative professional. Her main responsibilities at the NNF are to assist with coordination and administration of NNF projects, project contracts compliance, and assist's with the management of NNF consultancies. She has a passion for project management, to meet project objectives, and see people’s lives transformed through projects. She holds a National Diploma in Commerce. In her free time, she is involved in social projects, focusing on women empowerment, and enjoys gardening.
Ulrica is based at the Windhoek office.

Vasco Samwaka
Field Coordinator - WWF Conservation Agriculture | Projects
Vasco joined the NNF in 2015 as a field coordinator for the WWF Conservation Agriculture project. He has over 10 years’ experience in sustainable agriculture and community project management and implementation. Vasco also has knowledge of Indigenous Natural Products (INP), using Management Orientation Monitoring System (MOMS). He holds a certificate in Conservation Agriculture (CA) and a National Diploma in Lifelong Learning and Community Education with UNAM. His main responsibilities at the NNF is to coordinate conservation agriculture activities and report to the Director of Projects. He enjoys fishing and watching soccer.
He is based in Kongola, Zambezi Region

Inonge Mukumbuta Guillemin
Project Coordinator
Inonge Mukumbuta Guillemin recently joined NNF as a project coordinator. She holds an Honors Degree in Tourism Management from UNAM and a Master’s Degree in International Business and Marketing from Heriot-Watt University in Malaysia. Thanks to her dynamic and proactive and versatile nature, Inonge has acquired a range of diverse experiences in hospitality management, data analysis and, Geographic Information Science. Not to mention that she is also part-time lecturing Tourism Management, International Marketing at UNAM.
“My greatest interests revolve around conservation and community development. Joining NNF is a dream come true; that enables me to leverage my energy towards result-driven projects, that have a direct positive impact on natural resources and contribute towards poverty alleviation of our less fortunate brothers and sisters in rural areas.”
Inonge is based at the Windhoek Office

Mareike Voigts
Senior Technical Advisor | Projects
Mareike started her studies in Witzenhausen (University of Kassel) in 2007, during her studies she conducted a group-project of planning biodynamic cultivation of Vine, olives, and lavender on a farm near Bredarsdorp South Africa. Mareike holds an MSC in Sustainable International Agriculture (Universities of Kassel and Göttingen) where she received the Hans-H.-Ruthenberg Prize of the Fiat Panis Foundation. During her time at the University of Kassel, she worked for the German Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture as a research assistant and in conference coordination. She started working for the certification body CERES as an evaluation officer and later country coordinator (Southern Africa and Tunisia) and inspector in June 2015. In January 2016 she and her family moved to the Farm Krumhuk in Namibia, where she started to get involved in farm management. Mareike has now taken over Project Management of the Knowledge Center for Organic Agriculture in Namibia, implemented by NNF.
Mareike Voigts is based at the Windhoek office.