DSWT Community Outreach Report June 2017

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MONTHLY REPORT

June 2017 SUMMARY: In June 2017, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust carried out 10 fully sponsored school trips to Tsavo National Park, planted 250 neem tree seedlings in schools bordering the park, donated 150 solar powered lamps to women groups and participated in the UN 2017 World Environment Day.

SCHOOL TRIPS Fully sponsored school trips are one of the most popular conservation education activities carried out by the DSWT targeting school children between 10-18 years old.

In June, the DSWT hosted 10 school trips for schools in the Voi/Mtito area, giving them an opportunity to visit the DSWT Voi Elephants Stockade and having a game drive in Tsavo National Park. From the short rains in April/May, most watering holes were still holding water attracting numerous game including lions, leopards, wild dogs, buffalos, antelopes, elephants and zebras.

Name of school

Trip date

Kyusiani Secondary School-1 Kyusiani Secondary-2 Kyusiani Primary-1 Kyusiani Primary-2 Kighononyi Primary-1 Kighononyi Primary-2 Mariwenyi Primary-1 Mariwenyi Primary-2 Park Primary-1 Park Primary-2 TOTAL

5th June 2017 6 th June 2017 8th June 2017 9th June 2017 12th June 2017 14th June 2017 17th June 2017 20th June 2017 22nd June 2017 24th June 2017

Number of Kids 25

Number of Teachers 3

25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 250

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 30

UN 2017 WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL DAY The DSWT, working together with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), and other environmental conservation stakeholders in the Tsavo Conservation Area, marked the 2017 World Environmental Day on the 5th June 2017 by cleaning the Voi-Mtito Andei highway that runs between Tsavo East and West National Parks.

This year’s event with a theme of “connecting people with nature” was hosted jointly by KWS and DSWT bringing together over 300 individuals including 100 school children who participated in a whole day litter collection activity along the Mtito Andei-Voi highway. This theme was aimed at urging individuals to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and to think about how we all depend on it. Areas of the Mombasa Highway that are inside the Park are under intense threat of littering from thousands of travellers who move between Mombasa and Nairobi daily. We managed to collect 2 tons of litter ranging from plastic bottles to glass, polythene bags and tires.

TREE PLANTING After the April/May rains, the DSWT donated and helped in planting 250 neem seedlings from the Kaluku HQ nursery to schools in the Mtito area. Like in the past, the DSWT helped schools in planting trees in their compound and through this, we reward schools which best take care of the trees. Each student, who is a member of the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, who succeeds in taking care of tree is offered a fully sponsored game drive amongst other rewards.

SOLAR POWERED LUCI LAMPS The DSWT is working with women’s’ groups in the Tsavo Conservation Area to assist their school children with efficient and safe lighting for studying. In June, the DSWT donated 120 solar powered lamps to three women groups in the Mangelete area, bordering Tsavo West National Park.

These lamps are solar powered and when fully charged, they can offer lighting for up to six hours, a sufficient time for the school children to do their homework and prepare for the next school day. Their mothers also use the lamps in the kitchen and many households are also adopting the light to scare aware predators around their livestock bomas by hanging the lights around their farms.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is reliant on your kind support in order to keep our community outreach projects running.

For more information about these projects please visit www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.com/community or email info@dswt.org