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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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Mentoring Students in the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project
By Jane Okoth “If you hear about Wildlife Works, what is the first thing that comes to mind?” asks Fred Ouma, the Principal of Mzwanenyi Secondary School in Mwatate. “Bursaries,” one of the students quickly answers. “We have also partnered with Wildlife Works for a tree-planting program where they supply us with indigenous tree seedlings,” he adds. Mzwanenyi Secondary is a mixed boarding school located in Mwatate, one of Wildlife Works’ community locations. The school has a population of 178, with the majority of students coming from the surrounding area. Mzwanenyi Secondary is one of the many schools in the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project area that has benefitted from Wildlife Works…
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Ground Breaking Ceremony Marks Construction of Classrooms for New School
By Jane Okoth Wildlife Works Kasigau REDD+ project has benefited thousands of members of communities in rural Kenya through the distribution of carbon revenue. Local people in the Kasigau project area face a lot of challenges, ranging from marginalization to poverty and illiteracy. The intervention of Wildlife Works’ projects has brought a lot of positive change into the lives of these communities, especially in education. For example, the construction of classrooms for schools has ensured that vulnerable children in our project area have a chance to fight the inequalities that stand in their way. In the month of November 2018, Wildlife Works was invited to officiate a groundbreaking ceremony held…
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Education matters; Thousands Benefit from Wildlife Works Bursaries
In a remote village in Southeastern Kenya called Marungu, Zanira Kasyoka, a Wildlife Works employee, stands with pride as she gives an inspiring speech to hundreds of attentive local community members seated in a social hall. Present are different stakeholders including Environmental Officers, local Chiefs and Bursary Committee Members, all who have come to witness Wildlife Works’ bursary presentation ceremony. Zanira is giving a speech on how Wildlife Works’ educational scholarships helped transform her life. “Thanks to Wildlife Works’ bursaries, I was able to complete my secondary education. I am living proof that the REDD+ project can positively impact lives,” she says. Zanira’s case is similar to thousands of students…
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Carbon Credit Sales Fund New Desks to Two Schools In the Kasigau Corridor
Education matters! Wildlife Works is constantly trying to tackle barriers hundreds of children face when accessing education in our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project. Many pupils at schools in our project area struggled to learn, often because they didn’t have desks and were forced to write on their laps or on the floor during their lessons. This is Meli Kubwa Primary School and Mgalani Primary school, located in a remote location of our project area. When we arrived, the pupils and school administration from Meli Kubwa Primary School welcomed us with songs and dance from the vibrant maasai community which forms majority of the school’s population. In a school that is…
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My Trip to the Kasigau Corridor: Seeing a REDD+ Project in Action
Guest blog written by Vibeka Mair, a Senior Reporter for Responsible Investor who visited our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in February 2018. Jacob Kazungu has been disabled since birth. Now 72, he walks with a stick and has shakes when he stands up. But he insists he will stand as he presents the work of his community group in rural Kenya. The Buguta Disabled Group supports the disabled and parents of the disabled with a place to come to every day, conversation and most importantly a form of income through the making of toys, jewelry and baskets sold in places including popular fashion website ASOS. “We want to be self-reliant and not begging,” he says. Buguta Disabled…
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Tackling Barriers for Persons with Disabilities
By Jane Okoth On a rainy day in Mwachabo location approximately 60 kilometers from Wildlife Works’ headquarters, Matei Mtuku is in a jovial mood whilst welcoming staff from Wildlife Works in his home. The cheerful middle aged man who is disabled and wheelchair bound is the Chairperson for Mwachabo Disability Group, a group consisting of disabled people and caregivers who are raising children with disabilities. Groups of women begin to stream in his compound, and after exchanging greetings, everyone is given a chair as they begin their meeting. They are here for a discussion with Wildlife Works about various opportunities available to them. As the meeting starts, the women begin…
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Wildlife Works Nursery School Celebrates its 5th Graduation Ceremony
Any graduation is a big deal and so was the Wildlife Works Nursery School’s 5th graduation ceremony. Towards the end of the year, we make it a family tradition to celebrate our Nursery School students making milestones as they prepare to join primary school. The event was a colorful one with 6 pupils standing out in full graduation attire. Led by their teachers, they occupied the front seats reserved for them in a lively event attended by parents, pupils, and Wildlife Works employees. Since January 2012, Wildlife Works has provided a Nursery school free of charge for employees’ children aged between 2-5 years. This ensures that the young children are…
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Empowering Young Boys Through MAP Training
In rural Kenya, young boys and girls are frequently held back from pursuing their ambitions due to cultural practices and beliefs as well as other vices. To counter such challenges, a series of trainings are held to assist them navigate through life. Wildlife Works has been at the forefront of supporting such community projects in our project area, which among them entail education, women’s empowerment and the rights of the girl child. Recently, supporters of Wildlife Works have facilitated a different kind of training about sexual health education held at Mkamenyi Primary School. The program dubbed MAP (Men as Partners) is specifically tailored to boys above the age of 12…
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It’s All Smiles As Wildlife Works Presents Bursaries To Schools
By Jane Okoth A famous proverb once said, “A child without education is like a bird without wings”. Wildlife Works, the world’s leading REDD+ project development and management company, is committed to ensuring every young deserving student in the Kasigau Corridor communities has access to education. As part of its REDD+ project, Wildlife Works has awarded over $368,000 in scholarship money to students in the project area. These students who come from orphaned or single parent families, receive the funding through the income made from selling carbon credits in consultation with the community. Recently, as part of its wider distribution of bursary funds, Wildlife Works visited Kasigau and Marungu locations…
