The Sarara Campaign
Meeting critical human needs now creates a future for both wildlife and people. Breaking the cycle of poverty before it truly sets in is perhaps the most important thing we can do. –The Sarara Foundation
At a time when the news is dominated with reports of communities in conflict and environmental disasters, I have good news! Caring people are having a direct positive impact on the lives of others. This week’s story is one of gratitude. Special thanks to readers who have donated money or purchased products from my online store. You are making a difference in the lives of people in Kenya and the wildlife they coexist with.
Thanks to the generosity and kindness of my readers I am thrilled to report that together we’ve raised $1800 US. One hundred percent of the funds from my latest campaign goes directly to support girls’ education and wildlife conservation in Northern Kenya via The Sarara Foundation.
Last week I had a zoom call with Katie Rowe and Nicolene (Nix) Anley of The Sarara Foundation. Katie lives in Northern Kenya and co-founded The Reteti Elephant Sanctuary four years ago. She explained that Reteti wouldn’t be possible without the involvement of the local Samburu people. Elephants can’t take priority over the community’s food security and health. The Sarara Foundation was created to step in to help where the community needs it most, supporting local women to create a healthier landscape for their families by focusing on education, healthcare and the environment.
It’s exciting to join with readers to support these Samburu women and the wildlife they coexist with.
When COVID shut down the safari industry last March all visits to lodges like Sarara Camp and the orphanage stopped. Caregivers were desperate to get the formula they needed to feed the elephants since COVID interrupted their normal distribution channels. The Samburu women came to the rescue. They brought their goats milk to the orphanage for the baby elephants. With trepidation Katie and the keepers at the sanctuary decided to try the goats milk. The elephants thrived!
This is a remarkable story of a local solution—win/win on so many levels. The women now have a market for their goats’ milk. The elephants are healthy and growing. The carbon footprint for a product previously shipped from overseas is now nil. The cost of feeding the orphans has been drastically reduced at a time when income from visitors dried up completely. Brilliant!
The women keepers caring for the orphans at Reteti are empowered by the economic freedom that comes from their work and the example they are setting for young girls in the community. Here’s an image of me with a rhino orphan that was cared for by one of the women and later released back into the wild. It’s no surprise that women make excellent caregivers to the orphaned animals.
Katie is eager to show me the changes that have taken place since I was there in 2018. The young girl that told me she would like to go to school now has access to education! The Sarara Foundation has partnered with The Association Montessori Internationale and designed, developed, and piloted the world's first nomadic Montessori program establishing 3 nomadic Montessori Schools. The Samburu are pastoralists, moving their cattle around the landscape to graze. Establishing a school that moves with the communities means both educational access and cultural needs are honoured. This win-win story is endorsed by the elders. The Sarara Foundation plans to open 5 more schools in the new year.
More good news: SF has two nomadic nurses who are saving lives, teaching the women about prenatal and postnatal care and preventative healthcare. The nurses are eminently qualified to teach the young girls and their mothers about the risks of the cultural practice of female genital mutilation. With access to medical care 5 Samburu children had life changing cleft palate surgery this year, another life changing story with a huge impact.
I salute all caring people who are making a difference in the world. No action of kindness and good will is too small, in your family, your workplace, your community, your landscape – thank you for all you do.
Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world.
For, indeed, that's all who ever have.
—Margaret Mead
Thank you for reading. Support conservation efforts by either directly donating or visiting my store where a percentage of all online sales goes to charitable organizations doing valuable conservation work across the planet. Here are the items that were pictured in this week’s story.
