End Year Newsletter – Dec 2023 - Community & Wildlife Conservation

End Year Newsletter | December 2023

Community Wildlife and Conservation is a Non-Governmental Organization that was founded during the Covid 19 pandemic with the aim of supporting the local community, conserving wildlife, and promoting local tourism

Featured This Month

Educational Support:
Creating awareness on conservation:
Community Engagement:
Wildlife Conservation & Ecosystem Preservation

Greetings from Community & Wildlife Conservation!

Welcome to the latest edition of our newsletter, where we bring you updates on our ongoing initiatives aimed at fostering community development and wildlife conservation.

Mission: Our mission at Community & Wildlife Conservation is to create a harmonious balance between community welfare and conservation goals. We believe that conservation can only be successful when the community actively benefits from it.

Educational Support:

Secondary School Bursary:

CWC is sponsoring 3 top students from each of the ranches of LUMO Community Wildlife Conservancy, including Oza, Mramba and Lualenyi. These students scored relatively best marks in the 2022 KCPE, and secured themselves places in National schools - highest ranked public schools in Kenya. The bursary caters for the parental obligation part of fees, from form 1 to form 4. The project is expected to run for 10years, and with an aim of increasing the number of students being sponsored.

Mlughi Digital Literacy Lab:

With partners, CWC has established a Rural Digital Literacy Facility at Mlughi Primary School. The facility has been set to address lack of computer literacy among primary schools in the LUMO Community, and its dire need from the recently introduced Competency Based Curriculum. The facility serves 10 schools from the communities near the conservancy. CWC plans to increase two more facilities to serve other 21 more schools.

Latika Primary School & Others:

Latika primary offers education support to children in the community neighboring LUMO Conservancy. The schools previously had two classes, accommodating pupils of ages 4 & 5. After which, pupils had to walk for more than 5 kilometers to the nearby primary school exposing them to wild animals at tender age. CWC came in to pay monthly salary to pay for 1 teacher at least to accommodate pupils for grade 1, age range 6 & 7.

College Sponsorship

CWC is sponsoring 13 students for their college fees from less fortunate families. 8 students (7 girls, 1 boy), from communities surrounding LUMO Conservancy and 5 girls from Samburu. All the 13 students are pursuing courses in the hospitality industry, including hospitality management, culinary arts, and Food and Beverage, which assures them field attachment in our partner lodges. In the event they perform well, they will be assured of employment in the lodges as well.

Creating Awareness on Conservation:

Game Drives:

In partnership with Lions Bluff Lodge, CWC has been able to facilitate trips for primary school children. The main aim is to create awareness on the importance of taking care of the wildlife among young generation. So far, it has been able to facilitate such trips for 9 schools into the conservancy and the lodge.

Cinemas:

CWC has been able to organize for cinemas among the community members showing wildlife related video shows. After the clean-up activity at Vuria hill, 120 pupils gathered in hall to watch a wildlife movie, as one of the LUMO rangers explaining every bit of it.

CWC Eco Rangers:

CWC initiated a movement for primary school pupils, who are referred to as CWC Eco Rangers. The movement has enrolled a total of 155 members from 31 schools. These students are ambassadors of wildlife and environmental conservation in their schools, leading in activities such as clean-ups and tree planting. So far, Maktau Primary Eco Ranger invited our community liaison officer for a tree planting activity at Maktau Police station and Maktau health center, where they planted a total of 120 seedlings.

Plastics cage delivery to one of the participating schools

Plastics for Books' Project:

CWC started a project, “Plastics for Books”. The project involves 31 primary schools neighboring LUMO Community Wildlife Conservancy. The projects aim in creating a plastic free environment in the conservation area, within the schools as well as around their homes. The plastics collected, are taken by CWC for recycling, and the proceeds used to buy books for their school libraries. So far, over 870kg of plastics have been collected, while distributing over 200 texts books.

Clean-ups:

CWS has organized two clean-up involving primary schools including the clean-up at Vuria Hill, where students were taught on the importance of forest in the ecosystem, as well as clean-up of the conservation area. The cleaning up of the conservation area involved 31 primary schools, collecting two trunks of plastics.

Community Engagement Meetings:

We organized for the meetings at the village level to interact with the communities living near the conservation area. Among the discussions were on ways we can collaborate as we continue with conservation narrative and anti-poaching campaigns. These are the forums that help us in doing need assessment for potential projects for the community.

Community Engagement:

Dental and Medical Clinics:

We conducted these camps in partnership the Ol-Malaika Trust. The clinics offered general medical care and the dental care. So far, we have successfully done 6 medical and dental clinics. This year, we conducted two medical camps in March and October, reaching over 600 clients. Each year, we anticipate to conduct 2 camps for the LUMO community in the months of March and October.

With Menstrual Kits:

CWC has supplied over 1000 sanitary towels to girls in the LUMO Community. Due to poverty levels and the effect of climate change among LUMO Community, there has been a significant need to support girls with these crucial commodities, that are often overlooked as families are more concerned with putting food on their tables. These menstrual kits are re-useable, and for 1 pack can serve a girl for up to one year.

Tumaini Jewelry Project:

The project aims in helping needy women among the LUMO Community. They ladies handmake necklaces using locally available tsavorite stone as a pendant. The proceeds from necklaces are then used to pay for the school fees for their children.

Impact on Community Livelihoods:

In collaboration with the partner lodges, we identify any commercial opportunity that the community can engage to earn a living.

Wildlife Conservation and Ecosystem Preservation:

KWS rangers with other stakeholders removing a snare from a zebra during patrol.

Wildlife Conservation:

CWC collaborates with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) to enhance the security of the conservancies. We provide accommodation, meals and transport in form of vehicle and fuel, and other supporting gadgets, including radio calls, to facilitate communication with other conservancy rangers during patrols. This has enabled reduce poaching incidences, with which that of giraffes was the highest.

Ecosystem Preservation:

CWC tilled compacted ground both in the conservation and grazing area. This ensured that soil had the capacity to hold rainwater. We also replanted grass in the area to make sure we utilize it in the rainy season. Grass growing in the degraded rangelands will provide more pasture for the wild animals.

Thank you for being part of our journey at Community & Wildlife Conservation.

Together, we are creating a sustainable future for both communities and wildlife. Stay tuned for more updates on our impactful projects!