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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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A Day In The Life of Wildlife Works Rangers
It is a regular Thursday morning at Rukinga sanctuary. A group of nine rangers are already in a green Toyota Land Cruiser ready for their normal patrol in the bush, which starts at 7am and ends at 4pm. John Mwachofi, the team leader for camp 2.0, and his team started the day with some strategic planning at their camp. As the Media and Communication Officer at Wildlife Works, I thought it would be great to join this dedicated team with my colleague, the Executive Office Assistant just to get a glimpse of what it’s like being a ranger. The team is just a section of 120 unarmed Wildlife Works rangers…
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Teaching Climate Change in Rural Kenya
This is a gust blog from our media intern, Lucy Arndt, hailing from the U.K. Contact ask (at) wildlifeworks.com for our many internship opportunities in Kenya and the Congo. One of the most surreal things I’ve experienced since arriving in Kenya was being part of a teaching session on climate change with village elders – held entirely in Swahili. In my first week here, I accompanied the Community Relations Department of Wildlife Works on a series of community visits to the rural communities that are part of the project area. One of these was a focus group discussion with village elders (clan leaders, school leadership, etc.) to explain the project…
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Scholarship Student Dreams of Medical School
“The greatest danger facing modern society today is not of dying without achieving your dreams but dying without dreaming at all.” This is the motto by which Sophia Tsenge lives. Sophia comes from a humble background in a family of seven, in Sasenyi Village in Taita Taveta County, Kenya, and is one of Wildlife Works education bursary beneficiaries. One of the core ways in which Wildlife Works supports local development is through distributing the profit made from carbon credits back into conservation project’s communities we serve. Much of the funding programs go towards supporting community groups who submit needs proposals for committee approval. Another major funding funnel is our education…
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Wildlife Works On-Site Nursery School Gets a Makeover
No matter where you are in the world, playtime at nursery school sounds the same – delighted shrieking and shouting erupts from tiny voices as soon as the kids are let free. There is no difference here at Wildlife Works’ on-site nursery school, except that recently the chorus has been extra loud (if that’s possible!) because the school has just had a makeover. Wildlife Works nursery school on site in Kenya Since January 2012, Wildlife Works has provided a nursery school free of charge for our employee’s children aged 2-5 at our Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya. This helps kids get an early start in their education and provides…
- About, Adventures in REDD+, Conservation, Education, Forest Communities, Health, Uncategorized, Wildlife, Women
Changing Kenya’s Landscape for Wildlife and Jobseekers
Changing Kenya’s Landscape for Wildlife and Jobseekers Published in the The Opinion Pages on NY Times By Amy Yee JUNE 8, 2016 RUKINGA SANCTUARY, Kenya — Twenty years ago, this wildlife corridor in southern Kenya was in jeopardy. A scarcity of jobs in this impoverished, arid landscape meant people were hunting wild giraffe and antelope for meat, and chopping down trees to make charcoal. With fewer trees, desertification loomed. Water was so precious that local cattle herders lit fires at water holes to keep giraffes and zebras from drinking. The animals had less vegetation to eat and less forest cover. Cutting down trees combined with poaching decimated wildlife in this…
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World Environment Day Celebrations: Go Wild for Life
Happy World Environment Day! Each year this United Nations day is celebrated on 5th June to raise awareness on taking action to protect nature. The 2016 theme was ‘Go Wild for Life’ promoting zero tolerance for the illegal wildlife trade. World Environment Day parade in Taita Taveta County Wildlife Works took part in the celebrations in Taita Taveta County in Kenya, where the 2016 theme particularly resonates. Kenya’s wildlife is severely affected by the illegal wildlife trade. It is estimated that each year around 30,000 elephants are killed worldwide as a result of poaching and the illegal ivory trade. Grevy’s Zebra, which are found on our Rukinga Sanctuary in Kenya,…
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Wildlife Works and Prince Ea Speak at Green Sports Alliance Summit in Chicago
Prince Ea, Rachel O’Reilly, and Shawn Heinrichs Photo credit: Gerber & Scarpelli Photography Prince Ea joined the festivities and discussions at the Green Sports Alliance Summit in Chicago where he shared his video “Dear Future Generations: Sorry” and spoke about how to get involved in mitigating the effects of climate change with Stand for Trees and Wildlife Works, and the power sports have to catalyze positive change in millions of fans. His video and speech we’re received with a standing ovation by representatives from all major sports leagues as well as teams representatives, athletes, stadium owners and others involved in the sports industry. He reminded everyone in the room that the pursuit of a…
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Cap COP21 Climate Innovation Day features Wildlife Works speakers
Relying on innovation and shared knowledge, Climate Innovation Day will allow practical solutions to emerge and contribute to a Proposals Document, which will be revealed at the Grand Palais during COP21. Morning Climate Talks will bring researchers, innovators and project leaders to the main stage, and give evidence of present and future innovations for the climate. With the exceptional participation of Jean Jouzel, Prince Ea, Joseph Mwakima and many more… Dynamic, creative and hopeful, these Climate Talks will offer an opportunity to discover and discuss pioneering approaches which disrupt climate status quo. Afternoon Workshops will gather attendees together in various working groups, in which they will draft practical solutions for the climate.…
- About, Adventures in REDD+, Conservation, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Forest Communities, Uncategorized, Wildlife
Project Impacts of 2014
Wildlife Works thanks the corporate leaders that contributed to 2014’s success of more than double that of our REDD+ projects in 2013. Here we look back at the impacts on the ground in 2014. Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project, Kenya Mai Ndombe REDD+ Project, Democratic Republic of the Congo
