Randilen WMA lies on the North Eastern boundary of Tarangire National Park in Tanzania and is home to a wide range of wildlife species, including of course elephant, big cat and hundreds of bird species. As an integral part of the Tarangire-Manyara elephant dispersal area and a vital area of dry season grazing for the ungulates, Randilen’s existence is vital to the conservation and preservation of Tarangire Eco-system and to elephant in particular. Land & Life is dedicated to working here with the support of Elewana’s Tarangire Treetops.
The success of Randilen depends on the generation of income for the community, largely from tourism and visitor numbers. Honeyguide Foundation, the implementing partner in Randilen, have been working hard to upgrade facilities there. now Land & Life are delighted to announce the completion of the amazing visitor viewpoint at Kilimambuti entrance gate. on top of the hill at Randilen WMA Main Gate. The new visitor information boards are carefully positioned up the path to the viewing deck and around the edging of the platform set against the bachdrop of the sweeping vistas provided by the Randilen WMA. The boards fascinating insights into Randilen WMA, the communiy, the ecosystem, wildlife and the conservation programmes with in the RWMA.the and provide fascinating insights into the wildlife, community and geography of Randilen.
These information boards will, it is hoped, further add to the visitor experience at Randilen, and ensure more and more people come to see this beautiful area. With more visitors comes more income, and thus more security for the community and for the elephant and other wildlife who depend on them.
In Tanzania, students from Ganako Primary Wildlife Warrior Club had taken part in an essay competition, writing on “My career in conservation” The eight top essays were selected by the Head Office Land & Life team, and the students along with their teacher were collected by a driver and brought up to the Manor Ngorongoro
Once on site at the lodge, General Manager Jani Scheffer her team made a special effort to give them a wonderful afternoon. They walked the grounds, met the horses, saw the fields and the vegetables, and finally were settled down for a fancy afternoon tea with cake and lovely treats prepared by Chef Benjamin. The students ha da lovely time, and so did the staff, who really enjoyed watching the chi0dlren’s faces as they stroked the nose of the horse and tucked into cakes and pastries.
We are doubly proud top report this because it is a great way to start a New Year – the first Wildlife Warrior Club visit to the Manor and we are sure the beginning of a regular event. Thanks go out to the Manor who did such a great job and of course as ever to our sponsors and donors, whose support of Ganako via Land & Life has made these things possible.
You may recall that the end of 2017 saw a great effort from staff at Elewana, Cheli & Peacock and Sopa Head Offices, where contributions were brought in for our Wildlife Warrior Schools as part of the global Giving Tuesday campaign. We can now report that finally after a few weeks of logistics and planning, the donations have been delivered to the schools.
In Kenya, Land & Life delivered boxes of toys and books and bags of food to Kachiuru Primary School in Isiolo County, while in Tanzania several boxes of foodstuffs, bags of clothes and an additional generous contribution of cleaning products and hygiene supplies from Robico Chemicals we taken to Ganako Primary School in Karatu. Staff from Land & Life, The Manor and Elsa’s Kopje were delighted to visit the school and chat to the staff and students, hand over the goods and enjoy some time together.
Discussions are already underway as to the expenditure of the remaining Giving Tuesday funds, which in Kachiuru will be used in the construction of a boys toilet block, while in Tanzania the funds will go into the pot to support Ganako’s kitchen construction, for which fund-raising is still underway.
To find out more or to contribute to either of these schools, please do click here
Arusha Coffee Lodge and the Shanga Foundation have been supporting Plaster House for nearly six years, and Land & Life is now delighted to be helping with this wonderful project as well. The Plaster House is a rehabilitation home for children requiring orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery or corrective plastic surgery in northern Tanzania. The care provided to these children would otherwise not be available to them, and this help lifts many families out of despair, giving them hope for their children’s future.
On Tuesday of this week a group of staff from Land & Life, Coffee Lodge and Shanga visited Plaster House Arusha to hand over a selection of donations gathered from the lodge – sheets, pillows, and other linens as well as cutlery and crockery. The Plaster House team took time out from their schedules to give the Coffee Lodge staff a good tour of the facility, including the new wing which is nearly completed.
The new buildings were of particular delight to the Shanga staff. Shanga have generously made a contribution towards some beautiful hand-made stain glass windows (Dalle de Verre) for the administration block, new dormitory and volunteer wing. The artisans, Alec and Simon, who produced the windows were with the visiting group. They were overjoyed to see their handiwork in position and looking so stunning. It is wonderful to see examples of such fine work from professionals of their calibre who also happen to have a disability. It demonstrates to the children undergoing serious surgery that life can be about ability, possibility and what you CAN do achieved. The stain glass windows will serve as a daily reminder to the children to strive for their best and know they have the hope and opportunity of a bright future.
The Coffee Lodge and Shanga employees were delighted to meet a number of the children resident at the Plaster House, and have a chat with them in the classroom. This soon developed into a cheerful singing session in which everybody took part! Fun was had by everyone, children and visitors alike, and it reminded the lodge team how important the work we do to support Plaster House is.
In the first week of January the Land & Life team split up and travelled across Kenya to visit schools participating in the flagship Wildlife Warrior Program. This exciting program brings conservation education to primary schools utilising a fun and engaging club membership system, and culminates in the awarding of scholarships for secondary education to the brightest young people in each Wildlife Warrior club.
This year saw the awarding of 8 new scholarships, four to boys and four to girls. The awards went to the children who not only performed well in the National Examinations but also scored very highly in our Wildlife Warrior examination, focused on conservation and wildlife topics directly relevant to their communities. These children will receive support throughout their secondary education in the form of 75% of their school fees paid, with some of them receiving additional support to purchase uniform or supplies; all are brought together once a year to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to enjoy the Annual Retreat, the opportunity of a lifetime to experience the wonders of Lewa and learn in the company of other bright young conservationists. The Wildlife Warrior Program takes the brightest young students with an interest in and passion for conservation and wildlife and ensure they pass through school and are given every opportunity to succeed, bringing benefits to their families and communities and ensuring conservation has a voice at the table in future community discussions.
Participating schools this year were Ololomei Primary School (Elephant Pepper Camp), Esiteti Primary School (Tortilis Camp), Ura Gate Primary School (Elsa’s Kopje) and Kachiuru Primary School (Elsa’s Kopje). The scholars were awarded their official Wildlife Warrior t-shirts, and also each were given a large trunk in which to keep all their goods as they start their new life as boarders at secondary schools across the country.
If you would like to support the Wildlife Warriors and contribute towards these bright young students education, please do click here and donate, specifying the Wildlife Warrior Program as your preferred project.
Stories from the field…
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