DSWT Community Outreach Report November 2015

COMMUNITY OUTREACH MONTHLY REPORT OCTOBER/ NOVEMBER 2015 SUMMARY: The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) is involved in numerous projects aimed at raising conservation awareness and sustainably improving the living standards of communities in the greater Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA). In the months of October and November, the DSWT hosted 12 fully sponsored school trips for schools in the TCA as well as 3 wildlife conservation themed video shows.

The DSWT also donated 90 sustainable long lasting desks to schools in the Voi area, planted 500 tree seedlings in various schools and continued working with the Iviani farm owners to maintain their elephant-beehive fences.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS

Every month, the DSWT offer fully sponsored school trips to schools bordering the Tsavo Conservation Area. These trips offer children, in both primary and secondary schools, an opportunity to enjoy a day long game drive in Tsavo National Park, learning about conservation.

During these trips the participating students, whilst visiting key landmarks and meeting KWS representatives, are engaged in a road count of wildlife which they tally at the end of day. In October and November, the DSWT sponsored 12 school trips with 300 children and 36 teachers.

SCHOOL TRIPS Kalambe Primary (1)

DATE 14/10/2015

Park Primary (1)

15/10/2015

Park Primary (2)

16/10/2015

Matulani Primary (1)

14/11/2015

Komboyo Primary (1)

17/11/2015

Kyusyani Primary (2)

18/11/2015

Kyusyani Primary (2)

19/11/2015

Kyandulu Primary (1)

21/11/2015

Wiivia Primary (1)

23/11/2015

Wiivia Primary (2)

24/11/2015

Matulani Primary (2)

25/11/2015

Kyandulu Primary (2)

26/11/2015

TOTAL

PARK VISITED Tsavo East National Park Tsavo East National Park Tsavo East National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo East National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park Tsavo West National Park

STUDENTS 25

TEACHERS 3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

25

3

300

36

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 VIDEO SHOWS

In October and November, the DSWT hosted 3 video shows in schools in the Voi and Mwakitau areas. The video titled ‘Endangered heritage’ was shown, depicting how poaching is decimating wildlife in the Masaai Mara, the anti-poaching efforts by different conservation organizations, the interdependence of various animal species in the Mara ecosystem and the issues of the bush meat trade.

The video also highlights the importance of elephants and lions as keystone species in the ecosystem. Videos shown by the DSWT are made in the Swahili language forming one of the most effective ways to reaching out to a big number of school children at once.

Name of school

Video show date

Kids

No. of Adults (teachers and parents)

Sowa Primary School

21/10/2015

211

11

Gideon Mosi Primary

22/10/2015

330

30

Msharinyi Primary

2/11/2015

461

28

1002

68

TOTAL

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 BEEHIVE FENCES

The DSWT has been working together with the farm owners in Iviani village to clean unoccupied hives, making them ready for the bee occupation season. Available data indicates that most hive occupation occurs in November-March.

With the El Nino rains, most farm owners are farming their lands in anticipation that the beehive fence will successfully protect their crops from elephants.

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 TREE PLANTING

From the first week of November, Tsavo has been receiving a substantial amount of rainfall.

The DSWT took advantage of the rainfall forecast and planted 500 seedlings in schools during the first weeks of the month, whilst encouraging schools to carry out weeding of plots where we planted trees earlier in the year. These seedlings are raised at the DSWT field headquarters, to be donated to schools and community projects at appropriate times.

The DSWT carries out regular monitoring of the trees planted and rewards the schools which are doing at good job at caring for their seedlings with more seedlings, school trips and donations. Tree cover in the communities bordering the parks is reducing at an alarming rate, an aspect which can be associated with high poverty levels in these areas pushing people to depend more on natural resources.

Name of school/organization Matulani Secondary School Miangeni Secondary School Mavindini Secondary School Kenya Wildlife Service, Tsavo West TOTAL

Date 3/11/2015 4/11/2015 13/11/2015 27/11/2015

Number of seedlings 100 100 100 200 500

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 DESK DONATIONS

The DSWT donated 90 desks to three schools in Voi. These desks are custom made to last longer with metal frames. Unlike the poorly constructed desks used in these schools currently, the DSWT desks use less timber thereby reducing pressure on natural resources.

Name of school

Date of donation

Kalambe Primary School

2/10/2015

Number of desk donated 30

Sowa Primary School

17/10/2015

30

Gimba Primary school

21/10/2015

30

TOTAL

90

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2015 TSAVO CONSERVATION AREA RALLY

The DSWT together with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service, successfully organized a 2015 conservation rally to sensitize the communities and schools in the Tsavo Conservation Area to poaching.

The rally brought together 11 schools, and other conservation stakeholders working in the TCA. This year’s theme was ‘combating poaching through education’ and through songs, poems and other performances, the participating children were able to pass anti-poaching messages to the audience. During the rally, we were also able to reach a good number of standard gauge railway workers including the Chinese.

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