Alternative livelihoods for Ex Poachers, Kenya

Dear Supporter,

GVI Kenya and Tsavo Pride are working together with former wildlife poachers in the Taveta District of Kenya to promote environmental awareness, engage in anti-poaching activities, reduce the bush meat trade, create alternative livelihoods and encourage community ownership of wildlife, waterways and the natural environment in and around Tsavo West National Park.

In 2013 GVI Kenya set up camp in Kasokoni, about 20 minutes from Taveta town at the foot of the Challa crater Lake on the border of the Tsavo west National park to support the Ngoyaki community based conservation organisation. Ngoyaki – a conjugation translating as ‘voices of our forefathers’ rose from two older but largely inactive groups and now incorporates 20 members. Based on merit the group has been allocated the management of a large portion of land around Kasokoni and Challa Lake. The area harbours several vital natural springs, a creek, and a pocket of riverine forest forming a sort of oasis in an otherwise very dry landscape.

Any first visit will make the main conservation issues painfully clear. The creek is a vital biodiversity pocket, provides clean water to surrounding communities and attracts a range smaller as well as bigger wildlife. However, the heavy use from cattle has eroded the banks significantly, cow dung is making the creek-water unsafe to use and visibly interfering with the ecosystem balance.

Fencing-off the area will restore biodiversity rapidly and is the obvious solution but not a very favourable one with stakeholders such as  the Maasai herders that have use the area for hundreds of years. To move forward and avoid conflict at the same time the group has decided to first provide a cattle trough, an alternative water drinking point for the cattle. Fencing – depending on funding – might come later.

Building a cattle trough is though. In this area houses are built of clay, sticks and leaves, there is no power, and certainly no running water, the average income is about 2 US$, temperatures rise above 30°C every day,  and the closest DIY store is two hours away. GVI funded the undertaking and coordinated the effort motivation and man-power of 14 GVI volunteers, 9 group members, 5 GVI staff experts, 2 staff from our local partner Tsavo Pride and a local contractor to build the trough in 20 days.

For Ngoyaki this is an iconic first step. Although self proficiency for the group is thinkable, the group will rely on support and funding for years to come. GVI and Tsavo Pride are working alongside to reduce illegal poaching activities and to assist communities living side-by-side with wildlife to improve living standards, reduce conflict with wildlife, and prosper. We believe that utilisation of the knowledge former poachers have of the local environment as well as behaviours, attitudes and challenges within communities bordering the national park can help us to transform local attitudes towards the consumption of unsustainable resources such as bush meat and charcoal and to solve local problems using local, sustainable resources.

Many thanks for your support for this project.

All the best,

GVI Kenya

Links:

• http://www.gvi.org

Dear Supporter, 

Following on from our last report, early in 2013 the group had been inspired to start an orchard after conversations with Tsavo Pride – a successful locally operating NGO started and run by previous GVI staff and volunteers. In April 2013, a group of GVI volunteers assisted in the research and planning stages of the orchard project using workshops to create a long term plan for the area. The plan now includes everything from composting to selling fruits and from ecological windbreakers to transferring knowledge on growing.

Recently, a group of 10 GVI volunteers travelled to Kaasani to support the group in the execution of the first steps. The first steps included a mapping exercise, facilitating more exact planning, a fence construction project, to provide security to the orchard, and the install of a rainwater harvesting facility ensuring a sustainable source of water. With six days of hard work digging holes for fence poles, fencing, cement mixing, painting and putting up gutters, the team contributed directly to the community’s infrastructure. The result of our efforts were a perfectly fenced and thus secure 100m x 100m piece of land, a completely plastered and painted very smart looking room which is to be used for environmental education and awareness, full gutters on the main buildings, and a solid floor for the communal harvest store.

The bulk of the fruits of this orchard project are anticipated to be seen in 10 years time which is a long time away, however the blisters on our hands and feet, and the dusty sets of cloths from the brown earth are our fruits for now. GVI has supported and continues to support the Kasaani group and two other groups in the area on their long term objectives to acquire new skills facilitating alternate livelihoods. 

Many thanks for supporting this project

Zeno Wijtten

GVI Kenya Country Director

Links:

• http://www.gvi.org