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Rose and George, Hailing from Deep Sea Slum in Nairobi Join the Wildlife Works Team in Kenya
By Joyce Hu, Creative Director Although our core work is building rural communities, we can’t avert our eyes and hearts from the struggling urban communities in major cities around the world. Nairobi is home to some of Africa’s largest urban slums, where millions of people live without basic needs like running water, electricity or daily meals. On my most recent trip to Kenya, I was introduced to two bright, young adults from Deep Sea, a slum in Nairobi named for its sloping landscape that makes walking out of it a steep hike through the maze of metal corrugation and open wastewater ditches. George, an aspiring photo journalist, and Rose, an…
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Update on Ijema Funan, Injured Ranger
Ijema was discharged from the hospital last week and for the first time since the surgery is showing no signs of fever. This is fantastic news, as it means that the antibiotics are fighting off any infection. In fact, Ijema actually felt strong enough to go and do a bit of shopping on his own in the local town of Voi to pick up some bits and bobs. He’s been surprised and somewhat overwhelmed by the amount of visitors he has received, which have kept him pretty busy while trying to rest and recover. He is looking a lot better, and doctors seem pleased with the progress so far, but…
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Elephant Poachers Kill Wildlife Works Conservation Ranger and Critically Injure Another
As vigilant as we are when it comes to protecting our community and the wildlife surrounding us, tragedy still finds us at times. On Friday, January 13th, elephant poachers opened fired on our unarmed conservation rangers who were patrolling the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project area in Kenya. One of our rangers, Abdullahi Mohammed, was fatally shot and another ranger, Ijema Funan, was injured by the gunfire. At the time, our rangers, along with members of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), were tracking the poachers after discovering a wounded elephant in the protected project area. “This is the first time in 15 years that any of our rangers have been killed…
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Restoring Rukinga
Rukinga, the home of Wildlife Works in Kenya, has seen many human-influenced changes to its landscape. Once a pristine wilderness with a small hunter-gatherer population, the last century or so has been witness to a depletion of natural resources due to an increase in population and the transformation into a cattle ranch. Now, Wildlife Works is working with the people of Rukinga to restore the land to its former glory as a paradise for a huge range of fauna and flora. The end of the 19th century saw the construction of the Mombasa-Uganda railway, which runs within a kilometre of the north-eastern boundary of the wildlife sanctuary. Throughout the construction,…
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Meet Betty, Wildlife Works’ Enterprising Soap Maker
By: Cara Braund- Conservation Intern- 12th November 2011 In an area such as the Kasigau Corridor, where there are thousands of people out of regular work, Wildlife Works has been instrumental in providing jobs for hundreds of people in different sectors of the company. In order to reach as many families as possible, one important factor has been the diverse range of employment available. If you’re not made to be a cutter or sewer in the eco-factory, maybe you could be a ranger, or put those green fingers to use in the greenhouse or use your knowledge of mechanics in the workshop. Furthermore, by training local residents in the different…
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Traditional Roofing in Kenya
By: Scolastica Fundi – Eco-factory assistant – 18th October 2011 Our pilot REDD project area at Rukinga, Kenya, Wildlife Works’ growth has been tremendous within this last year. We are erecting seven new building all using traditional materials and techniques. Here we show traditional roofing called Makuti in the building of our new dining room. Makuti are bunches weaved leaves from a coconut plant caked Mnazi in Swahili. They are mostly found in coastal region of Kenya. Kenyan coastal people like the Mijikenda tribe mostly do Makuti production. PROCESS OF MAKING MAKUTI: STEP 1: The coconut plant leaves are harvested when they turn brown STEP 2: The leaves are soaked…
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POACHERS-Caught on camera on Wildlife Works Rukinga Sanctuary
By: CARA BRAUND- Conservation Intern- 17th October 2011 As part of their efforts to track biodiversity levels on Rukinga and the rest of the project area, the Biodiversity Division have been testing out camera traps to photograph unsuspecting wildlife in their natural habitat. The first six test cameras are on day and night and the first trials have been going well, with elephants, lesser kudu, giraffe, kongoni civets and even aardwolf being captured. The team got a bit of a surprise, however, when checking the recent results of their work. Mixed among the shots of buffalo and kudu was the image of several men walking through the bush several hours…
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Wildlife Works Crew to the Rescue, One Baby Elephant at a Time
By: CARA BRAUND- Conservation Intern- 5th October 2011 Monday mornings aren’t always the most exciting in many offices, but this Monday at Wildlife Works Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project proved to be a little different than usual! We received a phone call from one of our rangers saying that an elephant had become stuck in a muddy rock catchment on our neighbouring ranch. Apparently the creature was only around two years old, and had been stuck for over 24 hours.With none of her family members in sight, it was important we help her out of her predicament as soon as possible before she became too dehydrated. The team raced to Kivuko rock…
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Statement made in Kenya to Heighten Awareness on Elephant Poaching
Article by Jason Straziuso, Independent Newspaper Kenya has publicly burnt elephant ivory worth £10m – at Manyani, Tsavo National Park – in an attempt to focus attention on rising poaching deaths. President Mwai Kibaki personally wielded the torch to light the bonfire of 335 confiscated tusks and 41,000 ivory trinkets. He told several hundred people gathered at a rural Kenya Wildlife Service training facility: “Through the disposal of contraband ivory, we seek to formally demonstrate to the world our determination to eliminate all forms of illegal trade in ivory.”We must all appreciate the negative effects of illegal trade to our national economies. We cannot afford to sit back and allow…
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Eco-Factory Expansion Progress
By JAMIE HENDRIKSEN-Carbon Operations Manager- 7th July 2011 The construction for our second eco-factory at our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project has begun. All supporting pillars have been cast, ready to receive the roof trusses and verandah shades. Roof trusses have been fabricated and are ready to go up as soon as the floor slab is laid. Drainage, plumbing, steel ring beams and ventilation are all ongoing. The slab for the factory floor is being laid today. Reinforcing mesh and spacers have been laid. The entire slab has to be poured in one day to avoid cracking from temperature changes. Forty locally employed staff are working on site today to ensure…