Masai Mara
The June food drive distributed close to eight tons of much needed basic supplies to 280 of our Maasai community neighbours in the Aitong and Mara Rianda villages.
Hundreds of families were supported – photo credit Felix Rome
You can watch very short video excerpts HERE and HERE of this food drive. This was the twelfth month of support and it was wonderful for us to see how the food is really helping the families back in their homes.
Photo credit Felix Rome
Thank you to our in-house photographer Felix Rome for capturing these incredibly special moments of the food being brought back into the homesteads to be shared amongst the families – especially with the children – it was very special.
Sharing food with the children – photo credit Felix Rome
In order for us to supply this amount of food each month it costs us 750,000 KES (USD7200). We are so grateful as always to all of our donors for enabling us to facilitate this work.
The Chairman’s Foundation via the Wilderness Trust supplied 48%, individual donors supplied 27% and the Mara Rianda Charitable Trust supplied 25% of the funds used this month. We are delighted to have also received further funding from the MRCT which will enable us to keep these drives going for a few more months.
On the 23rd of June we celebrated the inaugural ‘World Female Ranger Day’. The conservation world has long been dominated by male figures and yet there are countless women who dedicate their lives to protecting some of our most valuable natural resources and wildlife. We took the opportunity to shine a light on just one of those women. Caren is a Maasai lady and one of four female rangers working for the Mara Elephant Project; she is deployed in the Mau forest where her presence has increased protection for wildlife, habitat and communities.
Caren removing a snare from inside the Mau Forest photo credit Mara Elephant Project
Since joining MEP she has been patrolling with the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Mau de-snaring unit that was deployed in January 2020 to combat illegal logging and bushmeat poaching within this critical forest. Her leadership capabilities earned her a promotion in June 2020 to corporal and she now leads her unit in the forest.
Caren graduates from her medical course – photo credit Mara Elephant Project
In the last year, alongside government partners Kenya Wildlife Service, they have:
Caren destroying a kiln inside the Mau Forest – photo credit Mara Elephant Project
If you would like to support the important work being done by The Mara Elephant Project you can do so via their website or through our secure online donation portal.
Loldia House
On the 18th of June we supplied fifty vulnerable families with two tons worth of food support to help them through the next month. Sincere thanks go to the Chairman’s Foundation via the Wilderness Trust for supporting this drive in its entirety and to our Loldia House team on the ground for facilitating the work.
Loldia food drive – photo credit Alex Mirschel
“Nashukuru campuni ya Governors’ Camp kwa msaada ambaye mumepea watu wa Kasarani. Mungu awabariki.” Thank you Governors’ Camp for the support you have given to the people of Kasarani . God bless you. James Kanon – Village elder
“I want to say that there have been times when I forgot to say thank you for being there for us. Let me say it has been a journey since you decided to walk with us through the food drives to the vulnerable families. I’m taking this day to tell you how special you and the team are and how great the lives of these vulnerable families have become since then. May you wake up every morning with renewed hopes and great values. Be blessed.” Sarah – Chief of Kasarani village.
We were pleased to receive an update on the waterbuck translocation that took place back in January. It was a complete success with all the released animals having adapted well to their new environment.
Waterbuck translocated to Loldia – photo credit Gary Hopcraft
We are excited to hear of preliminary plans for a bongo captive breeding, holding and rehabilitation site on Loldia. Mountain bongo are a critically endangered forest antelope which are only known to exist in small isolated pockets of highland forests in Kenya. The Kenya Wildlife Service conducted a rapid assessment earlier on in the year to assess the suitability of establishing such a site at Loldia. This is based on an initiative whereby Loldia proposed to provide a ground prior to release into the Eburru Forest. The assessment report was submitted to the Bongo Committee for action and is awaiting response and approval from the Kenya Wildlife Service.
If you feel in any way moved by any of these initiatives, and you would like to support us, you can make a donation of any kind through the Governors’ Camp Collection Community and Conservation Trust’s secure online payment portal. We will ensure that any funds you send are used to directly improve the lives and well being of our community neighbours. Thank you!
By Alisa Karstad, Community and Conservation Manager for Governors’ Camp Collection.
