Conservation Update - Environmental Education

The past month has been a busy one for MWCT's Conservation Program, which oversees multiple efforts to preserve and conserve the wilderness of the Kuku Group Ranch.  Our main aim is to show the Maasai that they can live in harmony with their surroundings, and that is is actually in their best interest to help craft sustainable, long-term conservation solutions.

Two of the beautiful elephants we're trying to restore to all parts of Kuku Group Ranch.

Accordingly, a large part of our mission revolves around education of the local Maasai on various environmental issues, and this month we had several outreach activities in the nearby village of Iltilal.  We first made a visit to Iltilal Primary School and gave a presentation to more than 250 children speaking about elephants and why they are important.  The next day we continued this theme by showing the environmental documentary Elephants: Wanted Dead or Alive to another 180 villagers in the town centre.  Later in the month we focused on lions, giving another presentation at the school to more than 300 students and showing an environmental education film about the lion trade to 45 Maasai at a local church.

Our Community Rangers bravely fight fires in the Chyulu Hills after they are set by herders but get out of control..

MWCT's Community Rangers have also been very active this month, responding to various poachings and kills around the ranch and turning several suspects into custody of the Kenya Wildlife Service and the local police.  In the picture above, one of the Community Rangers helps fight a fire on the Chyulu Hills, protecting grazing land for the Maasai herds as well as the extremely beautiful and valuable cloud forests.

Health Program Update - Cancer Screenings and More!

There have been lots of exciting developments in MWCT's Health Program over the past couple months - these are just a few!  In the month of August alone we delivered 19 different talks to almost 200 audience members on topics including cancer, nutrition, safe sex practices, water and sanitation, women's issues, and birth assistance.

Another very exciting event will be happening Friday, September 21st in the village of Iltilal, when we will be launching a Cervical Cancer Screening Campaign.  Residents can come and be screened at any time, but in an effort to get it into the public consciousness we have been heavily advertising this date and are trying to get as many women tested as possible.  Early detection is the easiest way to catch cervical cancer and prevent it from worsening; with regular screenings this can truly save lives and improve the health of women all over the Kuku Group Ranch.

 

And finally, we installed a solar panel at the Langata dispensary (shown above) that allows for many more patients to be screened after dark and boosts the morale of the nursing staff.  The panel provides light and charges during the day, then uses this stored energy to give hours of power after the sun sets.  With this kind of continued sustainable development we will be able to continue to expand our program and our mission.  Thanks for all the support!

Samson Interviewed by Kenya Airways

More wonderful news to pass regarding the outreach of the Trust - Samson Parashina, our President, has been interviewed by Kenya Airways and is featured in the September-October issue of Msafiri, their inflight magazine!  To see the feature, click here and either click on Samson's name on the bottom of the cover or navigate to page 70.

The article focuses on all parts of Samson's story, from his beginnings at Campi ya Kanzi to his 2009 running of the New York Marathon to his very recent and highly prestigious award as a UN Champion of the Earth (see more here).  It also highlights the efforts of MWCT and Campi ya Kanzi founder Luca Belpietro, as well as the work of acclaimed environmentalist and actor Edward Norton, who has been instrumental in the expansion and success of the Trust. We're very proud of them all, and incredibly lucky to have leaders with such character and drive!

Conservation Update - Lion Hunt Stopped!

MWCT's Conservation Program operates several initiatives, but one of the most important is called Wildlife Pays.  This program compensates livestock herders for losses to wildlife predation through a rigorous system of certification and monitoring of best practices; by doing so it prevents the killing of predators that would otherwise be the natural reaction to livestock killings.  Wildlife Pays is fully funded by the Conservation Fees payed by visitors to Campi ya Kanzi, a nearby eco-tourism lodge.

Last Wednesday was an excellent testament to the success of Wildlife Pays, as three lions attacked and killed a cow on Kuku Group Ranch.  Angered by the killing, around 50 morani (Maasai warriors) headed out to pursue and kill the lions.  Fortunately our community rangers reacted and were able to intercept the morani before they succeeded in this goal.  After assuring the Maasai warriors the owner would be compensated, they were able to calm them down and persuade them to return to their normal work.

Following this meeting, MWCT rangers certified the killing and verified that it was done by lions, and that the herder was to be compensated for his loss through the Wildlife Pays fund.  Efforts like this, in which the Trust directly intervened and was able to save three lions and make everyone involved happy, are exactly the type of success the Conservation Program of MWCT aims for.  With continued education, hard work, and your support, these successes can become the norm.

Education Program Update

With some recent successes we thought now would be a good time to pass along some updates on the Education Program of MWCT. With the support of various sponsors, MWCT has now facilitated the placement of 14 students in some of Kenya's top secondary schools.

Also through the support of the sponsorship program, a beneficiary of the scholarship program will soon complete his tertiary education and graduate as a qualified teacher.

With the support of all our donors and well-wishers, we currently have 49 teachers and 13 support staff permanently employed, distributed throughout all primary schools on the Kuku Group Ranch.

Thank you all very much for your continued generous support of the MWCT Education Program, and for allowing these young children to be able to attend school.