Skip to content 
CONNECTING KIDS WITH NATURE
People develop a love and respect for nature early on in their lives, which is why it is essential for rural kids in Kenya to experience the wilderness before they get too old to care.
Lion Kids Camp is a unique opportunity for children living in wildlife areas to experience a “safari” in their own backyard, and to learn more about the natural world around their communities.
Last month, The Safari Collection partnered with the Ewaso Lions for the third Lion Kids Camp hosted by Westgate Community Conservancy in Samburu.
During the five day camp, the children participated in a variety of activities aimed at helping them learn and understand more about the wonderful world in which they live.
Through game drives and bird walks, mammal and bird presentations, quizzes and fun games and importantly the chance to meet and interact with some of the most respected conservationists in Kenya – the children are given a glimpse into the importance of conservation and the role that they play in safeguarding the future of such a precious resource.
Importantly, the student selection for the Camp included children from two different tribes who have a history of tension between them leading to conflict, which ultimately compromises conservation.
The school selection was carried out by Ewaso Lions and was based on targeting areas in which they felt they had experienced more human wildlife conflict and problems during the course of their conservation activities. For the first time, the four schools were from two different areas; Kiltaman and Lerata primary schools in Samburu County and Ngare Mara and Kipsing schools from Isiolo County.
Throughout the week there was a strong message of peace and unity, and its importance to conservation and tourism.
All four schools were invited to participate in an art competition with the theme: “Our future, Our Wildlife”, entries were limited to Classes 6,7 and 8. Stories, pictures and sculptures came flooding in for judging, seven winners were chosen from each school to attend the camp.
For the duration of the week, the children were evenly divided into four teams and introduced to their team leaders; the Sasaab team was The Wild Dog team, under the leadership of Daniel (Head Guide) and Samuel.
Encouraging children to work with new children that they do not know helps to develop their social skills and the competitive nature of working in teams really helps them to bond.
Game Drive
We had an incredible game drive and were exceptionally lucky to see a beautiful leopard very early on in the day, and find five lions from the Koitogor pride asleep under a tree. We watched Nanai stalk a Grevy’s Zebra for over an hour, as she patiently crept from bush to bush undetected, but at the last minute the Grevy’s spooked and ran away.
The bird walk was fiercely competitive, with the Lion team spotting 29 species of different birds around the camp in half an hour, and the wild dog team was close on their heels.
A highlight this year was the Conservation Obstacle game designed by Ewaso Lions, which really helped to highlight all the conservation messages of the week, but also helped to develop leadership and communication skills within the groups.
The final drama competition, attended by the community members and VIP’s, was very entertaining. The drama provides an opportunity for the children to act out all that they have learned in the week, and for the parents and community members to feel engaged in the project.
During the week, the children spent time with the Ewaso Lions team, The Reticulated Giraffe Project, Save the Elephants and The Grevy’s Zebra Trust, learning how endangered all the species that these organisations protect are.
Their message was clear “the future of Kenya’s wildlife is in YOUR hands” and how YOU behave and what you do in YOUR daily life can really make a difference. All the children were asked to take the conservation messages home to their schools, their friends and their families and lead the way in conservation.
Events such as Lion Kids Camps are only possible through the generous support of donor organisations and individuals. The Lion Kids Camps 2015 had two primary sponsors The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund and The African Foundation for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW):
Thank you very much to Ewaso Lions for Lion Kids Camp 2015
Thank you very much to all participating conservation partners:
www.reticulatedgiraffeproject.net
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
For more information on helping with our Community and Conservation, projects please contact our Conservation & Community manager – Ali Allport
RELATED NEWS
CONNECT & FOLLOW