GVI Kenya

As most of you may know, we have been working with the community-based organization Friends of Shimoni Forest (FSF) for the best part of three years now, pushing towards community conservation and protection of the stunning and vitally important coastal forest we have here on the south coast. 
One of the main aims of FSF at present is the setting up of a tourist trail or “Shimoni Safari” which will take tourists on a guided walk through the forest to see the ‘Kaya’ shrines, and to see the amazing flora and fauna that this forest has to offer.  The areas that FSF want to direct the money that is earned from this (and other) endeavors include conservation initiatives such as planting of indigenous and endemic trees in areas of clearance, purchasing of land to be conserved, the production of alternative charcoal, and then a slightly more far sighted conservation and community development initiative – sponsoring local children through secondary school.

 One of the charasmatic Angolan black and white colobus monkeys
 

Primary school is free here in Kenya, but if a child wants to further their education, they have to pay yearly fees.  Unfortunately in places like Shimoni, there are so many families unable to afford to send their children to secondary school.  The way FSF see it, if a child goes to secondary school they gain a superior education and gain a far better understanding of the wider world; conservation being a part of that.  They will also be far more likely to be able to earn a living without having to resort to desperate, illegal and destructive methods of making money such as logging and charcoal burning. 

FSF are making steady progress with the construction of the tourist trail (with the help of some eager GVI folk with pangas…or machetes!), but is not yet up and running.  So to kick things off, a donations page on the justgiving website was set up.  So far we have had some amazing donations from people, and I would like to take a second to thank them:

• Katherine Blackwood donated £10
• Rick Hill donated £10
• Becky Law donated £15
• Jennifer LeClair donated £15
• And two anonymous donations totaling £115

These donations have allowed the birth of the Friends of Shimoni Forest Scholarship Fund!  What I think is particularly inspired about the FSF-SF is the way they are planning on operating it.  There are already a couple of organizations in and around Shimoni that sponsor the highest achievers from the local schools, so FSF wanted to do something slightly different, something that supported their mission.

 One of the massive trees in Shimoni forest, with the distinctive horizontal root system due to the ‘coral rag’ substrate that doesn’t allow deep roots.  For trees to get this large, it takes hundreds of years and a battle against the elements.  However, it can be felled in mere mintes with a power saw.
 

There are going to be an equal number of boys and girls sponsored, and for a child to be selected they must a high achiever, gaining above a certain grade.  They must then demonstrate an active interest in conservation or wildlife, perhaps based on past merits or on a written statement or interview.  Furthermore, for as long as they are being sponsored, either the child, or the parents, will be required to assist FSF in some way, on a regular basis e.g. during school holidays. 

I think this is a brilliant idea, as it will instill a sense of responsibility in the child and the family, and will also introduce them to conservation, the work of FSF and the importance of the forest.  With this sponsorship scheme, FSF hope to nurture the areas next generation of conservationists, who will already have a vested interest in Shimoni forest, and will be acutely aware of the threats facing it.

If you would like more information about Friends of Shimoni Forest, the work they do or the scholarship fund, or if you would like to join the fight to save this beautiful and internationally important coastal forest, please visit www.justgiving.co.uk/shimoni

As you can see from the donations listed above, it doesn’t take much to send two kids to school, and change their world.         

If you cast your eyes back over a few of our blogs recently you’ll read about the tourist trail that Friends of Shimoni Forest are creating.  This trail is going to run through Shimoni forest to show tourists some of the amazing flora and fauna to be seen, it will take them on a visit to a couple of the sacred Kaya’s or traditional religious sites, and it will take them past some of the amazing mangrove forests that run along the whole eastern coastline. 

An example of some of the mangroves

Mangroves are some of the most amazing trees in the world.  They tend to inhabit coastlines, estuaries or river mouths, and form some of the most critical habitats on the planet.  They act as nurseries and hunting grounds for countless aquatic species, as well as a home to many terrestrial species such as baboons and genets.  They also act as a buffer zone between fresh water bodies and the sea for runoff, silts and pollution.  They are also the only tree species that can exist in salt water!

Mangroves happily exist on beaches

Because of their importance, coupled with the fact they are exceptionally cool, means they are a site not to be missed on the tourist trail.  There is one particular spot where the tourists are going to be taken where at least five different species of mangrove can be seen, and where they extend unbroken for kilometers. 

The original idea was to create a boardwalk through the mangroves, which the tourists would be taken along.  This idea was scrapped, mainly because there are several mangrove boardwalks already in the area, and we wanted ours to be extra special.  So we have come up with the idea of a viewing platform!  We want to build a very tall (and very safe of course…) structure of some sort, on which the tourists can sit, drink a cup of chai and look out over the huge expanse of mangroves to the east, and the towering trees of shimoni forest to the south and west.  We think this will deliver a unique experience to people who have come to see this stunning area. 

One of the magnificent trees of Shimoni forest

Of course there are going to be many issues involved in the creation of this structure.  We are not sure yet what materials will be used in the construction, but bamboo has been suggested already.  The structure will need to be built on coral rag (fossilised coral), which will not be the simplest base for a tall structure…!  Then of course there is the issue of finances, which as ever, will probably be the hardest to overcome.  But overcome it shall be!  It will be the best view in Kenya (excluding Mount Kenya perhaps…)!