CCF Kenya Education Programs
Our school education project was initiated by sending out letters of intent to primary schools in our study area. The response to the letters was encouraging and our calendar was quickly filled.
Presentations began in September after schools re-opened for the Sep. - Nov. term. Two schools were scheduled per week with a target audience of conservation and wildlife club members. Unfortunately, Kenya teachers went on a nationwide strike on 23 September and the programs were halted. As I write this article, the strike has come to an end and the students have gone back to school.
CCF Kenya is also developing a program for secondary schools--to be launched in continuation with the primary school version. Our programs were well received by the primary kids and a lot of questions were asked with regard to status and behaviour of cheetah.
The materials and information were developed using the Namibia materials as a model and with links to Wildlife Clubs of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service, East African Wildlife Society, Elsamere Field Studies, World Wildlife Fund, Kenya and Friends of Conservation, Kenya. Developing materials cooperatively means that information distributed will be consistent and that we can reach a larger audience. These links will also provide a venue for cooperative presentations and events.
To date we have visited 8 schools and spoken to nearly 500 kids. We spoke to East African Wildlife Society members (30+) at the Karen Country Club and to the Friends of Nairobi National Park members (30+) at Nairobi Park. We participated in an international college program through Canadian Field Studies in Africa talking to 40 students. We have given talks to Park East Tour groups from US zoos - over 200 people total. And recently we spent a weekend in the Masai Mara with 12 families (12 fathers and 30 kids) from Nairobi - Young Presidents Organization (YPO) Nairobi Chapter members. Since June of 2002, we have provided over 800 people with information on cheetah and opened lines of discussions and information sharing!
