Inspired by his personal love and connection to all things wildlife, Raymond Kramer has built an organisation that is protecting animals and the natural spaces they call home, uplifting the community, and keeping the next generation out of trouble.
Johannesburg, South Africa (11 September 2026) – In the sprawling township community of Alex, there is a wildlife movement that is instilling discipline, character, a love of nature, and giving youth a reason to steer away from drugs, gangsterism, alcohol and crime.
Founded by Raymond Kramer, the Guardian Angel Wildlife and Marine Trust (GAWMT) began with just one scout in Alex and is now educating and empowering nearly 1,900 children (scouts) aged 7 to 18. The Trust empowers communities, protects wildlife, and drives conservation through ground-level action, youth education, community development, animal rescue, tourism partnerships, and ranger training.
This vital work is built on the premise that the first half of conservation is changing how a child sees and responds to the world around them.
“If you don’t change how a child sees the street outside their door, you will not save a lion or a river later. Conservation starts on the doorstep, and then it travels,” Raymond says.
Having grown up barefoot on a Mpumalanga farm where his late father was a farmer, nature was never just a subject to Raymond – it was home. He went on to join the army in 1981, where, in Angola, he witnessed what war does to innocent wildlife.
“Later, working across Africa, I walked through a forest that should have been alive with birds, and it was silent. Dead. Another day, in the far north of Kruger, I smelt a carcass in a dry riverbed. It was a young female elephant, shot three times in the chest, her small tusks still there, her feet in the air. She had run. She had died alone. That sadness never left me,” Raymond reflects.
Though he ventured into wildlife conservation initiatives to do his bit to help, work and time constraints got in the way.
However, while visiting Botswana, he discovered that wildlife can be protected with communities, with discipline, and with photographic tourism as a real pillar of a nation. That insight inspired the creation of GAWMT in 2022.
“The name is the work. We should all be guardian angels of this heritage. We do not choose one animal. Those who destroy them do not. So, we stand for all wildlife, all biodiversity, and the sea.”
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Witnessing children interacting with nature has been deeply touching for Raymond.
“I see these young people as if they were my own children and grandchildren. They are so pure. So innocent. They have a thirst for knowledge that the world has not yet taken from them. When they arrive on a Saturday, not because they must, but because they want to, their happiness, their laughter and their excitement go straight through me. It is one of the most touching gifts of my life.”
What’s more, their school marks are rising, and their horizons are expanding. Many families in Alex come from neighbouring countries, so when these children carry this love and awareness home, the impact doesn’t stop at the border.
“If we want to save what is precious, we must plant a love of nature before something else plants itself there. Watching that happen, even in a small way, warms my heart,” Raymond said.
GAWMT has also partnered with the Alexandra Randburg Midrand Sandton Taxi Association (ARMSTA) to spread the Keep Kasi Clean initiative and conservation messaging through the taxi industry.
“It starts with something as basic as not littering. If a child will not drop rubbish in their own street, they will understand why a river and a reserve matter.”
From Alex, GAWMT is now launching the Guardian Angel Scouts in the Western Cape.
“Our Cape representative first stood with us at our 2025 youth environmental day in Alexandra. He was a Scout as a boy. We are launching in Kraaifontein, and we expect about 100 scouts by the end of September.”
GAWMT will also participate in the Cape Town Carnival around a wildlife and marine conservation theme, carrying the same core message: protect animals, protect the ocean, uplift the community, and keep the next generation out of trouble.
As this message continues to grow in Alex and begins its journey in the Western Cape, Raymond’s vision remains clear and simple: Give them hope. Build their character. Teach them to love the earth under their feet.
“A child becomes an adult almost before we notice. The question is not whether they will grow up. The question is what kind of adult they will be, and whether we helped them become someone good.”
With the support of donors, this movement can reach tens of thousands more children in the Western Cape and beyond.
To donate or learn more, visit the GAWMT website or email [email protected] or [email protected].
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