Education Program Update - Sharing Inspired Stories

Tiffany Franke visited Campi ya Kanzi and the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust on behalf of the United Nations Development Program. During her visit here on Kuku Group Ranch, she was inspired greatly by the efforts of MWCT, its' programs, the staff, and the local Maasai community members.

Tiffany eloquently gives both praise and understanding to the works and efforts of the Trust and Campi ya Kanzi in her video and posts that she has published on her blog. During her stay with us, Tiffany was witness to all of the programs offered through MWCT, but states that she was most impressed and influenced by the actions of our Education Program - more specifically the Kanzi Academy.

Kanzi Academy students on a walk in the Chyulu's with Tiffany

The Kanzi Academy is a very important project that is contained within out MWCT Education Program. Kanzi Academy, a private boarding school run by the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, has chosen the most talented students from Kuku Group Ranch to attend. The Academy commits to exposing these students to educational opportunities that not entirely available to many other children living on the Group Ranch.

The Academy instills in its' students the importance that should be laid on the local culture and its valuable environment it is contained within. As is stated in Tiffany's video provided here, "the Kanzi Academy represents potential being recognized", and that "in order to have a successful community, you need to have good leaders rooted from good education" (quote by Antonella Bonomi).

Tiffany chose to share her story with us, and we are so happy that she did. 

Please follow the link below to hear Tiffany's story and her impressions of MWCT and Kanzi Academy during her time here in the Chyulu Hills:

Video: Accounts from Walking in the Chyulu Hills of Kenya

You can also find blog postings that Tiffany chose to share about the Kanzi Academy students; as well as her thoughts on the Team at MWCT and Campi ya Kanzi.

Education Program Update - Fist Half-Term at Kanzi Academy!

We are very happy to annonce that we will be having the Head Teacher at Kanzi Academy - Sarah Morton - contributing to weekly Education Program updates from our Kanzi Academy school, which is located at Campi ya Kanzi! Our Kanzi Academy program is extremely unique, and we are excited to share their lates updates in the coming weeks!

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I have just completed my first half term as the new Kanzi Academy Head Teacher, so this is my first contribution to the blog. Out first half term was full of fun, learning and getting to know each other. As the new head teacher, it is not only my job to ensure that we deliver a first class curriculum, but also to empower the children to find their own work ethic, leadership qualities and of course, being where we are, to work in harmony with environment that we are in.

Kanzi Academy is certainly unique. Not just because of its amazing cultural and environmental richness, but because of the way the children learn and progress.

Every child is an individual. As such, it is vitally important that they are able to express their views, opinions and maintain their identities. this is turn, leads to them being able to maximize their full potential.

We offer a broad-based curriculum, teaching: English, Maths, Kiswahili, Science, Social Studies, Geography, History, the Arts, Spiritual Education, and PE. The curriculum is an amalgamation of the UK's National Curriculum, the Kenyan Curriculum and the International Baccalaureate. This provides the children with a mixed palate of learning opportunities from which to paint their own unique picture.

Education should not just be about "blindly ticking boxes" of achievement. Whilst the children at the Kanzi Academy are academically very capable, education is about a holistic journey. As such, we engage with our environment and play our part as global citizens; partake in trips and walks, express ourselves through art and different art media as well as explore our physical body and spiritual being through general PE, swimming, horse-riding, yoga, relaxation and meditation.

As a result, I believe that the children are fully engaged in their own journeys and the impact that has on their personal identity. They are been and willing learners, aware of their own needs and areas for development. The children show great compassion and awareness for the needs of others and love to think 'outside the box'. Put simply, they are tomorrow's leaders today!

Now that I have explained the ethos of the school, I will be posting a weekly update with a few more details of what we've been up to, perhaps some comments from the children, and of course some photos. Please feel free to make any further enquiries or ask questions!

Asante and Karibu tena, Sarah.

MWCT Community Meeting

In late April MWCT hosted a meeting for all of its employees with the purpose of making sure everyone understands the aims and goals of MWCT's programs, how everyone is helping achieve these goals, and how it affects their communities.  Because we have a large number of employees and their individual tasks are often quite dissociated from the work of others in the Trust, we realized a meeting like this would be an excellent reminder of everything the Trust is accomplishing throughout the Maasai community.

All-employee meeting held in an Iltilal Village meeting hall.

Despite intense flooding due to heavy rains more than 50% of MWCT's 230 employees made it to the meeting in Iltilal Village, so it was a great success in that regard.  We began with short presentations on the Conservation, Health, and Education programs, and then opened the floor up for questions and comments.  Finally several community members told stories about how important the Trust was in their lives, and about the need to come together and be supportive of MWCT's activities.

Health outreaches like this one are one of many ways the Maasai benefit from MWCT's work.

The meeting was a great success because it allowed employees to get a true sense of the larger organization they are a part of, and to see the wide variety of ways the Trust is involved in the Maasai community on Kuku.  When our employees realize they are part of a wider group all working to improve the lives of the Maasai, they can travel home and spread this news to the rest of the Maasai.  Because it was such a good success, it was agreed we would hold a similar meeting every spring.

The kids at Kanzi Primary School also appreciate everything MWCT does!