DSWT Community Outreach Report

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MONTHLY REPORT JANUARY 2015 SUMMARY: The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) continues to work together with the communities bordering the greater Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) through projects which aim to spread interest and knowledge about wildlife and environmental conservation whilst elevating living standards.

Communities living in wildlife areas are vital partners in protecting wildlife and combating poaching, which makes it necessary for the DSWT to establish sustainable relationships with them.

To establish such relationships for over a decade the DSWT has been carrying out projects which include free school field trips for schools, protecting farms from elephant incursion using elephant-beehive fences, desk for schools, trees seedlings and other donations.

In January the DSWT hosted six field trips for schools in Mtito-Andei, donated 90 learning desks to three schools in Kibwezi (30 desks for each school) with a generous donation from Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz (AGA) e.V., continued to erect the elephant-beehive fence in Iviani and monitored tree saplings donated to the community last year in November/December.

SCHOOL TRIPS Baraka primary (1) Barak primary (2) Miyangeni secondary (1) Miyangeni secondary (2) Maia atatu primary (1) Maia atatu primary (2)

TOTAL

STUDENTS TEACHERS 22nd Jan, 2015 24th Jan, 2015 26th Jan, 2015 28th Jan, 2015 30th Jan, 2015 31st Jan, 2015

25 25 25 25 25 25

3 3 3 3 3 3

150

18

JANUARY 2015 SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS

Most children bordering Tsavo National Park have never seen the most common of wildlife, which can partly be associated to the unaffordable park entry fees and motor vehicle hire costs.

This month (January, 2015), the DSWT took 150 school children and 18 teachers from schools in the Mtito-Andei area for a full day’s fully sponsored field trip to Tsavo West National Park. Each group was taken through the spectacular sceneries in Tsavo West after receiving a brief lecture at the Park’s information centre. The sites visited included Rhino valley, Chaimu hills, Mzima Springs and the Shetani lava flow.

At each site the students were introduced to the literature behind every scene and were taught about each wild animal encountered.

JANUARY 2015 DESK DONATIONS

Without a comfortable learning environment, children are unable to concentrate and absorb what they are being taught. Most schools in the Tsavo Conservation Area lack this key necessity, the few desks available are overcrowded and in many cases children have to do with sitting on dusty floors during classes.

In January 2015 the Trust, with generous funding from Aktionsgemeinschaft Artenschutz (AGA) e.V., donated 90 desks to three schools with each school receiving 30 desks. These sustainable desks are purpose-built using a metal frame and a wooden top, reducing the consumption of dwindling natural resources whilst lasting a lifetime.

Name of school

Number of desks donated

Usalama primary

30

Ndithaine primary

30

Miyangeni secondary

30

Total

90

JANUARY 2015 TREE DONATIONS

During last year’s short rains in November/December the DSWT donated 400 neem seedlings to community groups and schools. This tree program teaches adults and kids how to properly plant tree seedlings in a semi-arid environment and how to look after them.

The Trust regularly follows up seedlings donated to ensure maximum survival rates. This month the Community Outreach team followed up seedlings donated last year, undertaking weeding, watering and mulching to protect the young trees from the scorching sun currently experienced.

JANUARY 2015 BEE-HIVE FENCES

In a collaborative effort between the DSWT and the Mtito Andei Human Wildlife Conflict Resolution Group (MAHWCRG), a 2 km long elephant-beehive fence has been installed around farms bordering the Tsavo Triangle in Iviani village.

Beehive fences are simple and cheap to erect with benefits ranging from barring elephants from raiding farms to an income generation project where each farm owner will harvest honey from hives in his/her farm for sale. The effectiveness of this kind of fence has been tested to be over 80% (Dr. Lucy King of Save the Elephants). This project started in November 2014 and to date the team has hanged 88 beehives covering the 2km perimeter. Seven hives already have bees.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is reliant on your kind support in order to keep our community outreach projects running.

For more information about these projects please visit www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.com/community or email info@dswt.org