DSWT Community Outreach Report March 2016

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MONTHLY REPORT MARCH 2016 SUMMARY: In March 2016, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) carried out eight fully sponsored school trips to Tsavo West National Park, hosted three video shows, installed 19 more beehives along a fence-line at a new farm in Khyusiani village and trained four community members from the village on bee keeping.

Additionally, the Community Outreach team carried out mulching and weeding of trees saplings planted in various schools over the past years in preparation for the coming April short rains.

MARCH 2016 SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS

In March, the DSWT carried out eight fully sponsored school trips to Tsavo West National Park. Accompanied by the DSWT community officer and bus driver, each trip begins at the Tsavo West Education Centre where the children are given a briefing on the kind of wildlife in the Park and the physical geography of the area.

From the education centre, the children are then taken to the Shetani lava flow through several watering holes within the park where they can learn about the most recent volcanic activity in Kenya, wildlife identification and primary vegetation colonization. Afterwards the group is taken to Mzima Springs, then to either Chaimu Hills or Roaring Rocks and lastly Komboyo; Tsavo West National Park headquarters.

The children participating in these school trips are registered members of Wildlife Clubs in their respective schools. These wildlife clubs are responsible for carrying out environmental conservation projects in their school whilst acting as DSWT wildlife guardian ambassadors in their communities.

SCHOOL TRIPS Kithasyo Primary School Kalungu Secondary School Kalungu Secondary School Kasasule Primary School Kithasyo Primary School Kithasyo Secondary School Kithasyo Secondary School Maikuu Primary School TOTAL

DATE Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park

PARK VISITED STUDENTS 5th March, 2016 25

TEACHERS 3

7th March, 2016 25

3

9th March, 2016 25

3

11th March, 2016 16th March, 2016 24th March, 2016 28th March, 2016 30th March, 2016

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

200

24

A MAP OF THE DSWT SCHOOL TRIP ROUTE TO TSAVO WEST NATIONAL PARK

MARCH 2016 WILDLIFE FILM SHOWS

In March the DSWT hosted three educational wildlife video shows in schools in Tsavo Conservation Area.

These wildlife documentaries are made in English and local Swahili language. Wildlife Video shows offers the DSWT an opportunity to pass conservation messages through education to larger populations, giving presentations to a whole school during each show.

This month’s documentary focused on the work of David Sheldrick as senior warden the Tsavo East National Park and the persistent problem of elephant poaching.

Name of School

Date of Film Show

Yimbuvu Primary School Tsavo West Primary School Ngiluni Primary School

8th March 2016 17th March 2016 27th March 2016

TOTAL

No. of Audience 91 358 210

659

MARCH 2016 BEEHIVE FENCES

In March, the DSWT sponsored bee-keeping training for four (4) farmers from Kyusiani village and installed an additional 19 beehives on a new farm in the same village.

Farmers were trained on hive management, bees identification, honey harvesting, record keeping and bee products marketing.

This beehive fence project not only protects community farms from wildlife damage and crop-raiding elephants but also teaches community members new skills and encourages them to work with their bees to produce good quality honey and profit from honey sales.

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