News from Porini Safari Camps

Born in Canada, bred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and having lived in Kenya for the last 20 years, travel is in my blood. I made a resolution 14 years ago, when the world was supposedly ending due to the dramatic turn of the century, that I would visit ONE new place every year, and to never stop exploring. Read More

The Amboseli ecosystem is famous for its stunning views of Mt Kilimanjaro and the strong herds of elephants that it plays host to. However, the landscape in the area is being continuously degraded due to the arid weather conditions, overgrazing by cattle and deforestation caused by the illegal production of charcoal. Following the establishment of the Selenkay Conservancy in 1997 we have been able to see how land cover can be improved over time through natural vegetation regeneration and how important it is to ensure continued forest cover growth, not only in Amboseli, but throughout Kenya.

At the end of March, Porini Safari Camps, in collaboration with GIVEWATTS will be carrying out a tree planting exercise at the Iloilero Primary School – the school is located 11 km from Porini Amboseli Camp and has 372 students between the ages of 5 and 13

Toward the end of March, in time for the long rains, we will be planting 500 indigenous tree saplings together with the school children and community members. Each child will be responsible for 1 or more saplings, which will encourage them to learn the importance of caring for their environment. It is our hope that the over time as the trees grow and shade cover is created, that the school can begin to successfully grow vegetables for their student food programmes and to also generate income, which can be used to purchase affordable GIVEWATTS solar lanterns and therefore improve access to cleaner light. Surveys carried out by GIVEWATTS have shown a significant improvement in school grades once they were provided with a solar lantern as the children no longer had to rely on open fires and kerosene lamps, which are expensive and can be hazardous to their health.

However, this is not a cheap venture and we need your help. We are hoping to involve as many community members as possible in order to ensure the success of this initiative.

Students of the Iloirero Primary School

How can YOU help?

• Purchase 10 tree saplings at a cost of $4
• Contribute toward the food and beverage costs of the community members and volunteers during the one-day exercise – $25 can provide food and water to 25 community members and students who will be planting the trees. We are expecting the participation of 372 students, 200 parents and 80 community members, government officials, chiefs and other Amboseli ecosystem stakeholders.
• $70 per month will pay for a caretaker to assist the children in taking care of the seedlings – watering and fertilizing the seedlings
• $100 can greatly assist the school in purchasing new piping that supplies water to the 10,000 liter tank on the school property from the nearby borehole with a total cost of repairs being $700.
• $10 per week to purchase fuel for the water pump which pumps water from the nearby borehole and fills the water tank

Please email chantal for more information and if you are interested in making a contribution.