#SEGERA – UNDER NEW HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS – IS BACK IN ACTION
(Posted 28th October 2020)
Private hosting, a concept now discovered my many, has always been at the very core of the Segera Retreat hospitality experience, with guests either taking over the entire resort or else being widely separated as a result of the generous spacing of the accommodation in private villas and the range of locations available for meals.
Recent interaction with Segera, to establish their return to the hospitality scene after the #COVID19 shutdowns in Kenya, showed that the retreat used the time well to carry out planned maintenance but also engage in new projects while pursuing other goals the conservancy has been working on.
Said Jens Kozany:
SATUBO Kindergarten
The SATUBO Beading Group is a community project designed to empower women and promote the sustainable development of rural communities. The SATUBO group is made up of women who primarily come from Jerusalem village and hail from three different communities in Northern Kenya, Samburu (SA), Turkana (TU), and Borana (BO).
This community faces challenges owing to a lack of education, poverty, and limited access to employment, particularly for women. The SATUBO initiative empowers women to run their own businesses, buy their own land, and facilitate greater financial independence and long-term stability for their families. The SATUBO kindergarten construction began in April and this will provide the women with a free, safe childcare facility next door to their workshop.
Tree of Life Forests
Kenya’s forest cover has experienced a drastic decrease from 10% to 6% in the last few decades mainly due to overgrazing, charcoal production, and drought. The ZEITZ foundation’s Tree of Life reforestation initiative aims to plant 1 million indigenous trees, with 90% of these seedlings being grown and planted by our new Vocational Training Academy for Forestry and Permaculture; creating new forest cover whilst providing education and long-term income-generating opportunities mainly for the women in our rural communities.
Phase 1 began in May 2020 with 100,000 seedlings planted, the first step in our ambitious goal to restore critical landscapes and preserve biodiversity for future generations. 150,000 more Acacia tree seedlings have just started germinating as part of Phase 2 planting which will kick off in November.
Female Ranger Academy
Segera’s conservation projects not only help protect our precious landscapes and wildlife, but they are also an opportunity to create access to education and sustainable employment for our communities. In 2019, the ZEITZ foundation launched East Africa’s first All-Women Anti-Poaching Ranger Academy as a platform for female empowerment in this traditionally male-dominated industry. Located on Segera, the academy recruited its first class of trainees from local villages, providing new opportunities to previously marginalized and underemployed women, with a plan to continue training women annually from neighboring communities and beyond.
Following graduation from our six-month ranger training program, these highly skilled women are now employed to secure Segera South, while taking lead roles in training recruits. They will also serve as mentors within their communities, promoting dialogue as a primary driver for peace and conservation awareness.
The Second Season of the All-Women Anti-Poaching Ranger Academy is now underway with the arrival of over 100 women for registration. The next few weeks will be an intense process with registration, field trials, health checks, and lots of other ways to test these formidable women, eventually narrowing them down to our final class of 12.
Jens then continued:
Additionally, we are currently designing and developing a magazine for Kenya’s Long run properties. We are engaging with incredible Kenyan photographers, videographers, and writers. We truly believe Kenya’s conservation story needs to be told from a Kenyan perspective and are looking forward to this incredible project.
A return visit to the Segera Retreat is definitely on the agenda for 2021 to, after a 5 year absence, once again experience this extraordinary safari property in person – still the only 5 star safari property north of the equator in Kenya.
Until then best wishes to Jens and his team of amazing individuals who make every guest feel at home the moment they step off their aircraft at the private airstrip or out of their safari 4×4 at the doorstep of the retreat.
