MWCT President in New York

Last week, Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust President, Samson Parashina, returned from a 10 day journey to the United States. Organized by the Kenya Tourism board, Samson travelled along with a group of others for the purposes of spreading a specific message of Kenya, tourism, and conservation, to the USA.

MWCT President - Samson Parashina

Samson was a Community Ambassador on this journey to the USA, representing the Maasai community of Kenya (the Southern region). Others in the group included: a second Community Ambassador representing the Turkana (Northern) region of Kenya, there was a representative from the Kenya Wildlife Service, and there were a few representatives from the Kenya Tourism Board.

The representatives from Kenya at US News & World Report

Together with all of the individual presentations given, the message that this group wanted to provide to its' audience emphasized that visitors to these particular communities in Kenya (Maasai and Turkana were the specific examples), are making a tremendously positive impact on both the communities, and the environment. Samson shared the many success stories of the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (Wildlife Pays Program, tourism partnership with Campi ya Kanzi, the Simba Scout Program, the Maasai Olympics) and how tourism, and visitors has allowed this organization to succeed and flourish within the community.

In front of Fordham University

Whilst in the US, Samson had the opportunity to share this message to: The UNDP (United Nations Development Program) in New York, Fordham Law School in New York, 70+ Journalists from in and around the New York area, National Geographic Traveller, The US News/World Report, the Smithsonian Magazine, and many many more.

At National Geographic Traveller

This journey was not only essential for establishing a positive image for tourism in Kenya the particular regions represented; but also to fully communicate that conservation and tourism CAN and WILL work together. Samson emphasized this passionately on his journey, through examples of what has happened, and what is currently going on here right now, on Kuku Group Ranch.