Profile
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Scholarships Success Stories from the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya
By Jane Okoth If you wanted a glimpse into the Kenyan educational crisis in the early 90s, there is no better place to look than in the rural areas. During those times, there was unequal access to education, with less development in terms of infrastructure, with schools being few and understaffed. Thousands of students as old as ten did not have access to school because it was either not affordable for their guardians, or not made accessible for relevant stakeholders. Julius Mkala grew up in those times, in a small village called Kale in the southeastern part of rural Kenya. Born in 1993, Julius was the 6th born in a…
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Wildlife Works Recognised With an East African Climate Action Award
On 19th October 2021, Wildlife Works was among the conservation organizations to receive a prestigious Climate Action Awards courtesy of ICPAC. Wildlife Works is honoured to be among the awardees of the Climate Action Awards East Africa, for its role in empowering local communities in activities related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. The competition was organized by ICPAC, a specialized institution of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with member countries in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania. The competition drew participants from these member countries, shining a spotlight on their groundbreaking innovations and ideas to mitigate the effects of climate change. Congratulations to Kenyan journalists…
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An Exclusive Interview With Mike Korchinsky, President and Founder of Wildlife Works
Do something to support forest conservation and don’t wait for someone to do it for you, says Mike Korchinsky, the founder and President of Wildlife Works. Watch this exclusive interview with our Media and Communication Officer Jane Okoth What motivated you to start Wildlife Works? What fascinates you most about elephants? What was the status of forests, wildlife and the people before the project started? What is your approach to forest conservation? How did you engage local communities back then? How do you engage local communities to support the conservation plan? Why is the REDD+ mechanism so effective for conservation and sustainable development? With continued REDD+ market success, what could…
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All About Trees; A Day In The Life Of A Carbon Sampler
By Jane Okoth Do you know how the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project generates its carbon credits? Essential to the process is Wildlife Works’ Carbon Sampling Department, who play a vital role in calculating the amount of carbon stocks that are stored in the forest across the project area. This week, we are profiling Joshua Kitiro, the Head of the Carbon Sampling team, a department comprising of eight team members. “Carbon sampling is about measuring trees to calculate the amount of carbon stored in them. Different trees have different amount of carbon in them depending on their species, structure, and age,” he says. The team works with Jeremy Freund, the Vice…
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Wildlife Works Personality Profile; Meet Paul Mwachari Kombo
By Jane Okoth The Wildlife Works’ organic greenhouse is one of our many sustainable projects at the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya. On a typical day, the greenhouse team of 24 people are tending to indigenous seedlings, grafting fruit trees, and focusing on agricultural intensification. However, during the coronavirus pandemic, a scaled-down team from the greenhouse are on site, helping to nurture tree seedlings, plant organic vegetables and distribute seedlings to the community where possible. On an ordinary day, you will find Paul Mwachari Kombo with his team members, planting and grafting organic fruits and vegetables. The 29-year-old father of one is grateful to the Greenhouse Manager George Maina…
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Wildlife Works’ Personality Profile; Lazarus Ighacho
By Jane Okoth “Hard work, determination and discipline can change one’s life,” says Lazarus Vigodi Ighacho, Wildlife Works’ Assistant Workshop Administrator. His job involves anything automotive; purchasing spare parts, construction materials, welding and electrical appliances. Lazarus is also in charge of maintaining all fleet-related records and documents as well as scheduling repairs. “My tasks also include preparing regular reports on vehicle mileage, fuel consumption and maintenance as per the required standards,” he says. Currently, Lazarus is working with other staff to distribute buckets, soap, and facemasks donated by Wildlife Works to communities living in the Kasigau Corridor as a humanitarian response to COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. “I help to organize transport…
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Meet Jessica Njeri, Wildlife Works Female Ranger
By Jane Okoth Early mornings and evenings are usually the peak times for wildlife activity. Jessica Njeri, a Wildlife Works ranger, is ready to begin her daily patrols by 5 am. The nature of their patrols can be either by car or foot. After a day of different sightings, they will all return to report their wildlife sightings and other findings with their team leader in the late evening. Jessica is part of the 100+ ranger team who patrol the 500,000 acres of dryland forest in the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project area. Born in a family of 8 in a remote village called Kisimenyi, Jessica had a love for wildlife…
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Rising With Resilience, the Story of Charles Nzale
By Carol Chao It’s a warm afternoon at the Wildlife Works greenhouse and it’s always a busy day for Charles Mwavula Nzale. Whenever you visit the greenhouse, you will find the calm composed young man with a wide smile selling and marketing the greenhouse products (such as seedlings), taking stock, or maintaining the equipment among other duties. Charles, now 31, was born and raised in Marungu ward, which is part of the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project area. Charles lost his mother at a young age, so, together with his siblings, he had to go and live with his grandmother. Amidst the challenges in his life, which included a lack of…
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Meet Rebecca Mututa, Wildlife Works Assistant Community Relations Officer
By Jane Okoth The Tsavo region, very popular with wildlife, is home to the biggest national park in Kenya and one of the largest elephant populations in the world. As a young girl living close to Tsavo East, Rebecca Mututa would encounter wild animals from time to time. “This gave me the inspiration to learn more about animals by working in a conservation organization,” she says. Rebecca grew up in Voi, a small town 30km from Wildlife Works’ Head Office with a population of at least 50,000 people. “My passion for working hard was ignited by watching my mother struggle to put food on the table. I put a lot…
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A Day in the Life of a Research Scientist at Wildlife Works
By Jane Okoth At Wildlife Works, the Biodiversity and Social Monitoring department plays a huge role in monitoring and reporting on the impact of the REDD+ project on biodiversity and communities living in the project area. Benard Amakobe, a Research Scientist at Wildlife Works gives us an insight into his typical working day at the department. Amakobe specializes in monitoring biodiversity impacts through conducting research and recording data. “My work procedure is a bit unusual. It would be a big bore if i were to do the usual 8:00 am to 5:00 pm stuff,” he says. Amakobe grew up in Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, which has a population of…
