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Meet Rehema, a Student Who Never Gave Up On Her Education
Born in 1990 in Kale village in the Marungu area, Rehema never knew what her future held. At the very best, she was certain that she would end up growing old in her rural village. Rehema Mwaka is the second born in a family of four. Her parents are both subsistence farmers in Kale village. She joined Kale primary school in 1997 but because of the extreme poverty in her family, she was forced to dropped out for 2 terms due to of lack of school uniforms and tuition funds. However, she went back to school in the 3rd term and managed to maintain top position in her class and…
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Improving on Education along Kasigau Corridor by Wildlife Works
Education! The key to success in life. The dream begins with the teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes to lead you to the next plateau. But for many rural Kenyan children who are fortunate enough to attend school, poor classroom environments threaten the foundation for learning at a basic level. Teachers and students face overcrowding. Many schools have classrooms with over 100 students per session with leaking roofs or poor ventilation. Wildlife Works, through the funds of our REDD+ Project, is trying to change this for as many schools as we can in our project area. Since we founded in 1997, we have been building, renovating classrooms,…
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Margaret Mschai Rises Above Life’s Challenges and Shares Her Future Aspirations
Margaret Mschai, a mother of two, makes her living by completing various tasks at the Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ eco-clothing factory, and is wholly grateful for it. Her tasks include trimming, folding and packaging the fabric and finished clothes. “I love what I do mostly because it is an important part in the chain of events that creates unique outfits for export,” she says, adding, “We cannot all be machinists or designers. Someone has to trim the loose threads and fold the clothes so that they are presented neatly for the final consumer.” As Margaret never had the chance to continue her education past primary school, she was therefore…
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Marie Stopes Brings Reproductive Health Services to Wildlife Works Employees
Marie Stopes Kenya, a non-governmental organization that conducts free family planning programs across the country, recently conducted a tremendously informative workshop at our community in Kasigau. More than 100 employees attended, 22 of which benefited directly from the free reproductive health services offered by MSK. These reproductive health services, including family planning services and cervical cancer screenings, were entirely sponsored by Wildlife Works. Although made available by other members of the health industry, the cost of these services often prohibits employees from being able to take advantage of them. Apart from the high costs associated with most family planning services, lack of information and access to birth control methods propagates…
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Marasi Primary School Renovations
Many people in the Kasigau Corridor view Marasi Primary School as the symbolic center of Maungu, which is the town nearest to our Wildlife Works REDD+ Kasigau Headquarters. Many of our employees, including the Human Resources Manager, Laurian Lenjo, completed their primary education there. Unfortunately, a visit to this school, started by parents in 1974, revealed crumbling roofs, peeling paint and door-less classrooms. Students who are fortunate enough to obtain a seat during class must sit at unstable desks that are shared with at least four others, while the remaining children sit on the dusty floor. Several months ago, the school received critical funding through the sale of carbon credits…
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Empowering School Girls in Kasigau Corridor to Remain in School
Lack of sanitary pads is a common concern for girls and women living in poverty-stricken backgrounds in developing nations. In dire circumstances, they are forced to improvise by using rags, tissue, leaves and other unhygienic materials. This humiliating practice can also lead to serious infections. Studies and research have also attributed the lack of sanitary towels as the main cause of school absenteeism for countless teenage girls in rural and poverty-stricken areas in Kenya. A recent collaborative study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), The Girl Child Network (GCN) and Human Relations Trust (HRT) shows that one in every ten girls in Africa misses school and eventually drops out…
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Marking Milestones, The First Students of Wildlife Works Graduate
The first Wildlife Works Nursery School graduation ceremony was a joyful occasion filled with dance and song along with awards to recognize the student’s achievements. Parents and teachers, among others, used the opportunity to express their gratitude for the nursery school at Wildlife Works. Dressed in navy blue gowns, which had been tailored at the local Wildlife Works clothing factory, the graduating students recited classroom songs while guests took the time to reflect on what the Wildlife Works Nursery School (based at our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project) means to them. Daniel Munyao, who is the Manager at the Wildlife Works eco-factory, where most of the pupils’ parents work, highlighted the…
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Kileva uses carbon credits to construct new classroom
Kileva Eastfield Primary School is thrilled to announce the construction of its new classroom, thanks to proceeds from their conservation efforts. The stone and iron structure is able to accommodate 40 students, and was built using funds from the sale of carbon credits in the Kasigau REDD+ Project. The new construction is especially welcomed by school-going children, who previously walked up to 6 km to access neighboring primary schools. This long trek was through wildlife-dense landscape and made even more treacherous by the early morning hours in which the children were traveling. Apart from being dangerous for pupils, the frequent journey between villages was a source of constant conflict between…
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Help Save Recently Discovered Rare Mountain Lions in Ethiopia
For the first time, mountain lions have been discovered in the Ethiopia Kafa project area. Kafa, the birthplace of wild arabica coffee, also harbors exciting wildlife, striking landscapes and vibrant cultures. According to the Kafa Coffee Biosphere Reserve, The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union provided the first evidence of lions in the Montane rain and cloud forest. Until now, the African lion had only been documented and photographed outside of the rainforest. The discovery of lions in the Kafa Biosphere Reserve took place as part of the wider conservation work by our REDD partners Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union, or NABU, in Southwest Ethiopia. The African Mountain Lion is classified as…
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Elizabeth Juma Mwamkono: Utilizing an Opportunity
Elizabeth Juma Mwamkono, a seamstress in our eco-factory, can attest that life needs to be faced with every ounce of courage that can be mustered. Born and raised in Taru, Mombasa County, Elizabeth has faced a number of challenges in her life. Elizabeth said that while she was growing up, many of the young people in her neighborhood, faced with uncertain futures due to financial hurdles, turned to prostitution, drug abuse and violence. She was determined not to fall into these traps, and decided to focus her efforts on getting an education. Liz remembers being sent away from school frequently due to lack of funds, but even her prolonged absences…