The Samburu girls push the bowl towards me inviting me to choose some beads. Leah invites the girls to show me how to thread a line of beads on the needle. With a swift movement, suggesting ten thousand hours of expertise, they swipe their needles through the bowl and voilà, their thread is stacked with beads. I follow suit, the beads avoid my needle like captives on the run. We all laugh.

Would you like to go to a wedding? I will take you if you'd like to go,” says Robert, my Samburu guide. A Samburu wedding? “I’d be delighted! I'd be honored!” I respond enthusiastically. I can’t believe my good luck. “You can't take your camera,” he says. “I understand,” I say heart sinking, knowing that my iPhone will have to suffice enroute and my memory of the event will have to do the rest.

I know I’m fortunate. I know I am one of the fortunate few to be able to go to these wild places, and meet these extraordinary people, and meet these extraordinary animals. It's a gift and it's very healing for me, it’s very magical for me. My hope is that by sharing my stories I can help build a bridge and let the rest of the world know that these people and these animals and these wild places are out there and we have a responsibility. We have a responsibility to protect them and to speak for them.

Reteti Elephant Sanctuary is the first indigenous community owned and run elephant rescue orphanage in East Africa. It reflects a growing movement in community focused conservation practices where the local people work to protect the wildlife they have co-existed with for hundreds of years.

Elephants at the waterhole! The news on the 2-way radio announced that a herd of elephants was heading towards the water hole at the base of the lodge. Robert, my Samburu guide, looked over his shoulder from the driver’s seat and relayed the news. “Let’s go!” I said eagerly.

Did you know an elephant’s sense of small is four times as strong as a bloodhound’s? They can actually smell water several miles away. This can mean the difference between life and death during a drought. It’s very cool to be sniffed out by an elephant.

Domenic, Joseph, and I were out patrolling the savannah in the morning when we spotted a herd of elephants making their way in a line across the horizon. The Matriarch was at the head of the line with another female following behind, a small calf hugging her haunches. Several other mothers, aunties, and nannies were part of the group plus one large bull elephant.

The elephants raced towards us, sounding loud trumpet blasts. Each orphan made a bee line to one of the keepers who, with one motion, stuffed an elephant sized baby bottle into their mouths. In no time, the bottle was empty, and the baby’s trunk reached out for the second bottle. Amos stepped to the side and motioned me in. I was in Kenya feeding a baby elephant—definitely a pinch-me moment.

The baby elephant flared its ears and shifted its weight back and forth from leg to leg. I was shaken with surprise; it took a minute for my heart to settle. “You’re okay,” I said quietly as I took a breath. “You’ll be okay here. It’s going to be all right. I know you are frightened and wondering where your mum is, where your family is. There are friends here who will take care of you.”

I have lots of hope. And when I’m in a natural, wild place, then I remember. I remember that I need to think more consciously. That I need to make more conscious choices. I think we learn more through delight and awe and wonder than we do through lectures about how nasty we are and how stupid we are. So that’s the gate I want to come through.

As the new year begins, I’m thrilled to report that, thanks to you, my first Heartfelt Endeavours campaign raised a total of $6079 for Kisaruni High School in rural Kenya! Your contribution will have a ripple effect in the lives of these students and their communities.

In Kenya, even though education is free, there are many barriers to education, particularly for girls: early marriage, poverty, poor health, traditional domestic roles for females, gender-based biases. I’ve witnessed how these girls are transformed by their experience at WE primary schools.