Amara Conservation - 2002 - Work With The Schools In Kenya

A Class of their Own
Ongoing Work with the Schools in Kenya
From the June 2002 Newsletter

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The School at Lonyore

The Nursery school that was built in May and June of last year is going strong. We are waiting for some local political concerns to resolve before we go back there and get more things going for the children.

We've seen some of the kids and they are fine - the drought of last year has abated for now, so things are looking up for the community there, although they did lose most of their stock, particularly cattle.

Samburu children painting

We still plan to go to the nearby Primary school and give them some assistance. The school needs rebuilding of a number of classrooms, books and other
supplies, and lots of educational support. This school is located in a remote area bordering on the Northern Frontier District.

This is in a place where wildlife isn't extensive. If we can help them to better their lives through education, and they can learn, for example, how others, not too far away, have reclaimed their land for wildlife, we can help them in real ways.

Lori with some children at
another school in Samburu District.

There are similar communities where lodges have been built and the communities run the lodges themselves. As a result, they keep their cattle, sheep and goats off the land, and the elephants and other wildlife have come back. They keep their land safe from poachers and everyone is thriving, as they receive all the revenue from the lodges. These places are in a part of the old northern elephant migration routes.

Hungry, To Learn
A Word About the Kids

We've all probably had our parents tell us how rough they had it, walking 10 miles to school each day, and so on. The amazing thing about many of these children is that they DO walk ten, perhaps twenty miles to school, and in spite of being undernourished, they arrive enthusiastic and hungry for knowledge.

These kids were in fact a significant factor in inspiring Lori Bergemann to establish Amara Conservation. Education is very important to these people, and they all have to pay school fees, which aren't always easy to come by.