Last February (2014) we had the honor of very special, VIP guests from our own community. A selected group of primary school children from Enkorien School went on a authentic gamedrive with Kicheche guides telling them more about this beautiful ecosystem and abondance of fauna & flora, so crucial for a good symbiose between all stakeholders of the conservancy. These children are our future landowners, our future guides .... it was our pleasure to have them 'on board'.

Kicheche guest, Shannon visited the Endonyo Rinka school and loved the children's enthousiasm to learn ! Endonyo Rinka was built as educational centre of excellence for the greater area and so we were happy in Nov 2013 to enable Shannon's donation to the school through the purchase of this big book cupboard.  In the month of May 2013, Kicheche Community Trust supplied box piles of school books to this local School outside of Olare Orok Conservancy. It is important that our children have sufficient access to learning material at schoo.Currently pupils have to share one copy amongst 3 children. We aim to reduce to hopefully a book per child.

Enkorien school - Motorogi Conservancy : We have been following this little school for the past few years and amongst donations given we can list : repairs/refurbishment of a wooden classroom, a water tank, school books and recently in April 2014 we got sponsoring for solar power equipment for the teacher housing. The school consists of 3 classrooms (2 in stone house and 1 in wooden structure) and caters as a feeder school for the bigger schools in the greater area. Small kids find the long (upto 5k) walk to these schools too challenging and hence this little school being errected at the edge of the conservancy.

Orkuroto School (OOC) :  This primary school, with 55 young children enlisted, located just outside of the Olare Orok Conservancy, has in the past gained the support of the Kicheche Community Trust. We provided school books and stationary as wel as proper benches sufficient for all children.

For 2013, Kicheche Valley camp has pledged support to this little school by the road side in Nkoilale. Watch this space for more info to follow shortly !

Books and furniture for Olkimitare : In May 2014, the Kicheche Community Trust donated school books to students of Ol Kimitare school, through generous help of Kevin c/o Exodus. In addition we assisted with the donation of desks and cupboards for the same School. Kicheche Community Trust has a long standing relationship with the school and many of our staff's children attend this lovely little primary school.

Last February 2014 we had the honor of very special, VIP guests from our own community. A selected group of primary school children from Olkimitare and Aitong Pry School went on a authentic gamedrive with Kicheche guides telling them more about this beautiful ecosystem and abondance of fauna & flora, so crucial for a good symbiose between all stakeholders of the conservancy. These children are our future landowners, our future guides .... it was our pleasure to have them 'on board'.

Olkimitare School (Aitong) :

This project was initiated by some guests visiting the school in 2004. This small community nursery school is situated a short distance from Kicheche Mara Camp and is not officially recognized by the government and is therefore not eligible for funding, so it is reliant on the limited income available from school fees. Unfortunately this was not enough to maintain the infrastructure, buy text books or other essential items and therefore the school had stagnated somewhat.

The Kicheche Community Project has taken on the responsibility of revitalizing, upgrading and maintaining the school to improve the quality of education. The Trust completely rebuilt the school in 2007. At the moment the groups are split into a morning and an afternoon class with Samuel, the head teacher, assisted by Mercy,Veronica and Jonathon. We currently have about 100 children from reception to standard 1.

Children attending the school can, and often do, travel up to 7 km each day to attend classes, so with your continued support we hope to see this school thrive and so make the journey worth the effort.

Aitong Primary :

Aitong Primary is the biggest school in the area of Aitong and have well over 700 children enrolled. There are about 25 teachers of which one is Samuel (see separate info tab). In the past Kicheche Trust has donated many school books !

Balanites Academy

Balanites Academy has receivee useful funding from the Kicheche Community Trust, such as books, pencils, playground equipment etc. Balanites Academy is set just outside of Aitong Town. The school takes children upto standard 4. In past seasons we have donated to the school a whole set of school benches and 2 small water tanks too.

The Nyakio (Ngobit) school in Laikipia is a little school originally supported by Martin and Tiddy who recently left the country. Charlie has taken over the coordination of support & funding for the school and we, at Kicheche, are keen to give this little school some support, where we can.

In 2014, we donated 150k Kes worth towards furniture (desks) for the new classroom for the secondary school class which opened in Feb 14. We don't have images as yet of these furnitures but see below some images of the little primary school section.

The Kicheche Community Trust provides school bursaries, as part of the Trust's efforts in improving Education. These bursaries are given out for students of different schooling levels. For the school year 2014, the Trust has given out : 

- 4 Primary school bursaries (Zakayo, Elizabeth, Narenik, Senchura)

- 4 Secondary school bursaries (Senteu, Peninah, Dickson, Sasha)

- 9 Graduates or University bursaries ranging from students in tourism (Rose), conservation science (Amos), teachers training (Samuel & Mirriam), Business studies (Felix and Johnathan),  Law (Teriano), Chef (Emmanuel) and guiding (Vincent)

We make sure to follow up on the children on yearly basis and though we have some children drop out (eg getting married) we are happy to say some of these children have been with us for many years. There where possible we give our bursary students work experience through the form of internship and contract work.

Bursaries are getting more and more expensive with the years (as the children move up schooling systems and the study degree) so we are constantly in need for funding !

If you decide you would like to help a young person through education, then please don't hesitate to contact us. We make sure we give you regular updates of the children but without you having to be too personally involved in case you feel that is too straining/demanding or if you choose to remain incognito. For practical (bush mail is tricky) and child protection purpose we opt to be the intermediate for any correspondence between bursar and donor, but communication between donor and student is very much incouraged !

Koiyaki Guiding School

Vincent Sankale, previously working as a waiter at Kicheche camp, has been enrolled to KGS for the year 2013/14 ! Many thanks indeed to a Kicheche guest who ever so generously offered to sponsor Vincent through school this year. We wish Vincent all the best in his studies and upcoming exams.

In 2011 we donated a housing unit for the OOC community outreach ladies that are based at KGS premises. Sarah and Grace do an excellent job to involve the young guide students on matters of community and women groups in particular. We were very happy we have been able to assist with their accommodation needs.

An educated and informative guide is a necessity on any safari and it is the aim of Koiyaki guiding school to produce top quality Maasai guides each year. It was built in 2005, on the initiative of Ron Beaton, and its construction was funded by the EU. Each course runs for 18 months and the curriculum includes the study of ornithology, mammal behavior, tracking, guest relations, first aid and driving, amongst others.

The school has an intake of about 22 students annually, entirely from the local Maasai community however scholarships of approx. US$2400 are required for each student and this is where further assistance is needed.

Both Kicheche and the Kicheche Trust sponsor one of the students each year and often recruits graduates for further training before deployment in the field. There are currently more then 5 trainee graduates amongst the Kicheche guiding team !

May 2014 : We are proud to announce that Samuel Nampasso, our teacher at Aitong Primary has been attending the final stage of his university study. The course consisted of 6 modules. This university degree has partially been made possible with the help of Exodus funds raised in 2013. Samuel has been an excellent asset to this primary school where he has been based for quite a few years now. Aitong is the home area to Samuel so he commutes daily to & from school to his rural home. As part of its aim to improving education, the Kicheche Community Trust pays some monthly contribution towards Samuel living allowance. This has greatly improve both the living standards of Samuel as well as the school performances of his students. However soon, upon receipt of his certifications, we expect Samuel to get a fully paid salary from the Education Ministry.

Waste incinerator and more toilets for Aitong CMF Clinic

With the fantastic support of Bob and Dorothy, Kicheche Trust has contracted during these long rains of April & May 2013 the building of a proper incinerator for all hospital waste at the Aitong CMF clinic. As you can imagine this sort of waste is best not left out in the village/bush areas for dogs and hyenas alike ! The extra toilet facilities were badly needed by the queue of waiting patients !

CMF Clinic (Aitong)

A good clinic is a fundamental part of any community and in Aitong town the story is no different! Kicheche recognizes the need for good health care facilities; So far we have provided the clinic with a water pump and a fully equipped delivery ward and regular supplies of “day-to-day” medicine! Recently one of our donors paid for a huge water tank. We wish to assist further in any way possible. Although CMF funding for this clinic comes in the form of specialized medicines, there is still a lot more required. The areas which are still in desperate need of attention are better staff facilities, more toilets for patients, separation of the wards etc. One of the doctors would like to further his training to bring back acquired expertise to the region.

Aitong SAFE :

On the first Friday in July, market day took on a whole new look as in addition to the usual throng of traders and shoppers, a band of dancers, singers and actors belonging to the theatre group SAFE – Sponsored Art For Education, together with Kicheche Camps organizers, were throwing all their energy into a dazzling performance, crafted to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. After the show, approximately 100 people took par in the free test clinic.

For many years now, S.A.F.E theatre productions have been instrumental creating awareness withing rural (upcountry and coastal) as well as urban community on issues such as HIV Aids, FGM and tribal violence to list a few. Kicheche Trust have been supporting S.A.F.E. for many years now and in July 2013 we were very happy to have the Maa team to come out to AItong and Talek to present their latest production.

On the first Friday in July 2011, market day took on a whole new look as in addition to the usual throng of traders and shoppers, a band of dancers, singers and actors belonging to the theatre group SAFE – Sponsored Art For Education, together with Kicheche Camps organizers, were throwing all their energy into a dazzling performance, crafted to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in Africa. After the show, approximately 100 people took par in the free test clinic.

Every two years, the Trust organises with local theatre group SAFE, an educative show on the effects of HIV & Aids and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) at the local Market in Aitong. All this is to help create awareness on HIV & Aids, and against the vices of FGM and to enlighten the local Maasai community on its harms on the girl child

Based in the rural town of Nanyuki, Huruma Comprehensive Care Centre was opened in 2007 in collaboration with Consolata Hospital – Mathari. It was opened as an Out - reach clinic and operated once a month (second Wednesdays and Thursdays of the month).It offers comprehensive care specifically to HIV/Aids patients, both out patients and in-patients.  In collaboration with Consolata Hospital – Nyeri, the Centre also offers the ENT&Eye services once a month (after booking). In august 2011, the clinic opened its Maternal unit. Its aim is to provide quality and comprehensive care of mother and child in a conducive environment. Services offered: Antenatal clinic, Post natal clinic, PMTCT services, Immunization, Child welfare clinic, Consultation, treatment and referrals of children below 5 yrs, natural family planning.

Earlier this year in 2014, Kicheche Trust has donated 1800 $ worth of sick beds. We are very happy to have been able to assist the clinic towards their need for more beds/capacity to treat inpatients.

In 2010 and 2011, at Kicheche Laikipia Camp, in Ol Pejeta, the Trust focused its activities towards the Nanyuki Children's home. This orphanage is in constant need of support. Currently they have about 75 kids in residence, many are tiny babies. Donations made in the past include : Blankets,Food supplies (especialy baby formula),Bursaries to pay school fees, uniforms and books, General improvements on the infrastructure and Toys.

Apr 2014 - The Discovery Centre is yet again the base for community development training for our staff and people from the community. This year we introduced English classes for basic conversation skills and other students came to finish off the computer courses they started earlier on last year.

June 2013 - Kicheche Trust donates a all-in-one scanner/printer/copier such the Discovery Center in Aitong can generate funds as a small eco business centre. People from Aitong now no longer have to travel to Narok (2 hrs drive) to access such secretarial facilities.

May 2013 - The trust sponsored Kicheche Camps staff to attend Computer training at Mara Discovery Center in Aitong - congrats to David Nchoe and colleagues with this computer qualification !

The Mara Discovery and Empowerment centre is a community based initiative whereby several self help groups around Aitong have joined forces to operate income: Generating activities such as :

• • tree nursery,
  • beading groups,
  • dance groups,
  • eco clubs for youth,
  • computer and language classes,
  • soon we hope to set up a job and IT centre too.

Through generous donations from the Yann Foundation, the Kicheche Trust has been able to build a new centre. The Mara North Conservancy (Obel Foundation funding) have gracefully installed a full solar power system and equipped the centre with 12 computers.The Centre will also start an eco club and we are looking to furnish the library with books and DVD’s about wildlife from all over the world.

Naboisho Beading Program:

June 2013 sets the start of a new beading program at Naboisho. Community ladies are invited to sell their items at the camp shops. We look forward to lots of beautiful art work and jewerly !

Kisaru Beading Program :

This group was initiated back in 2008 by some members of staff at Kicheche Bush Camp who in the first instance contributed the money to buy materials to get the project off the ground. The aim of the project is to provide employment for three ladies in the community who specialise in making beaded jewellery and other items. With the profits they support Seema, a nine year old orphan by paying her school fees and help another little girl with her uniform costs.

The Anthony King Conservation Leaders Trust is established in memory of Anthony King - 'conservation is not a choice or something we do, it is how we live'. These were the typical words of Anthony, who spend the biggest part of his life working towards finding the workable balances between all stakeholders such to create sustainable conservation models.

Anthony sadly passed away in an airplane accident in February 2013 and naturally so, the Kicheche Community Trust would like to honor him and his family for all the work done thusfar. But his work is not over and the projects will continue as he would have wanted to !

So, we are proud to support the Conservation Leaders Trust, set up to give support to those future conservation leaders in Kenya who need a little 'push in the back' to make conservation happen !

November 2012 -  Kicheche Community Trust has helped local Masai villages in the Olare Orok area in the construction of predator proof bomas to help reduce human wildlife conflict. Funds for a total of 6 predetor proof enclosures were raised during a talk by Kicheche co-owner Paul Goldstein at the Royal Geographical Society of London in October 2011. The aim of these enclosures are to limit the human life stock vs wildlife conflict and related losses. We believe that a symbiose between both is very realistic given a few measures like these.

The structures were set up in cooperation with the Olare Orok Conservancy who's management are monitoring any current lifestock losses prior and after the construction of the fences.

One of the major issues outside the Masai Mara National Reserve is the increasing pressure from the Masai on wildlife and natural resources. One way of enhancing wildlife conservation outside protected areas is the creation of conservancies where important areas with known lion populations are transformed into a kind of semi- protected areas where the numbers of Masai settlements and livestock herds are managed in a way to maintain a sustainable balance.

In order to know where these conservancies should be placed and what benefits they will have, it is essential to understand the exact movements of the lions in time and space and their population ecology. By achieving this, it will be possible to advise the Masai people about when and where not to graze their livestock during certain times depending on where the lions are situated and thereby avoid direct confrontations between Masais and lions. It is about achieving the goal where the Masai people and the wildlife again can live in harmony as they have done before.

In light of this project several key lion individuals have been collared for tracking purpose. The team of the Mara Lion Project keep a keen eye on the whereabouts and are able to communicate and pre-warn the communities to avoid certain locations for cattle grazing.

Since 2013 Kicheche Trust has been donating toward the satelite communication expenses of these collars (1400 $ per annum) and we are proud to be able to make these contributions.

The spring in Aitong is hugely important for main water access within the Koiyaki Lemek area.

Families, Businesses, clinics, schools as well as cattle rely on the spring fro their daily needs. The Kicheche Trust pledged in 2009, through donor funding, to finance the sanitation of this spring. The works contained building an additional holding tank with extra outlets (tabs) with concrete flooring and a separate trough for cattle. Now the work is completed, multiple people can access the spring at the same time. Cows and people will have separate access to the water which will improves hygiene around the spring tremendously.

Clean up action Talek Jun 2014 : This initiative sprouting from the grass root level whereby local shopkeepers, schools and tourism partners have collaborated and organised a big clean up action in the township of Talek. Talek is on the edge of Olare Orok Conservancy and bordering the Reserve and has grown exponentially over the past few years, with unfortunate ecological results whereby litter and garbage are poorly managed. This event is an initiative to make a change and we at Kicheche like giving it our support. So 7 of our staff members went over to literally 'help a hand' !

Environment Clean ups :

In March 2009, the Mara Discovery & Community Empowerment Centre organised an “Environmental Awareness & Clean-up day” which was greatly supported by the Kicheche Trust and staff. For all who attended were happy to roll up their sleeves, put on rubber gloves and collect rubbish. A traditional Masai dance was performed by the MD Centre’s staff holding rakes, spades and sweeping brushes rather than the normal rungus. Everybody was given surgical gloves and a bin liner and told to follow the dancing throng into Aitong centre, picking up rubbish along the way. Before long over 100 sacks of Taka Taka were collected and dispatched to burning sites. The Kicheche Community Trust has pledged continuation of this great initiative by providing tools and funding for a part time Cleansing officer to patrol the streets of Aitong in “the battle again the plastic bag”.

The Mara Discovery and Empowerment centre is a community based initiative whereby several self help groups around Aitong have joined forces to operate income: