COUNTRY: Kenya
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Community & Conservation
WRITTEN BY: Nick Geason
Our first week transitioning from our beloved home country to the third world country of Kenya has been nothing short of a perfect eye opener to what lies ahead within our journeys. Due to a change in travel plans, gappers from both Antipodeans and Camps International travelled approximately 160km northwest of Mombasa in a safari style bus, to which they were greeted by Peter Kalenga at the gates of Camp Tsavo.
This would be our home for the following two weeks. Being at the heart of Rukinga Sanctuary in one of the largest National Parks in Africa, although we were travel weary, the atmosphere was instantly overwhelming. Whether it was the spontaneous roar of an elephant or the constant energetic compassion by the camp staff, we knew that this was nothing like home. It was a world so far away, so foreign, yet so homely.
The first day consisted of making elephant dung paper. Octavian, an expert in this particular field, led us through the process to creating a masterpiece of our own. We used flowers and leaves to decorate the face to which we eventually returned them to dry overnight.
Hame “the game” McLeod instantly regretted his agreement to a dare from Ellie “Elzo” Lobb as he confirmed that elephant dung doesn’t taste as good as he thought. That evening the group set off on a wildlife monitoring session. We were lucky enough to see two elephants drinking at the nearby watering hole as well as dikdiks (the animal that symbolises love and unity), Grevy’s Zebra,antelopes, monkeys and various birds such as the pale chanting goshawk. As the group was finally united after months of anticipation, a late evening was served with multitudinous Tuskers, one of the main beer brands of Africa.
The second day was here and it was time to get to business. The group visited Buguta Primary School and worked on various projects around the school.
Some included digging trenches around the trees to act as water catchment and to allow as much rain as possible to the roots because rain is scarce. Also, the highlight was definitely trying to master the technique of rendering, where Jock and Tom picked this up quickly. At the end of the day, Camp Kenya generously donated a desktop computer to the headmaster.
Day 3 and we were off to Sasenyi Primary School. The day consisted of wheel barrowing rocks from one end of the school to the working area near the classrooms.
A foundation trench was dug, water was transported and soon enough children living close by were flocking to observe our efforts, jaws dropped. Eventually, the small children were gleefully thankful for Mickey’s gem idea. Outbound was Michael Ryan with 3 of the village children inside his wheel barrow along with the required rocks. This gesture became reoccurring and eventually tiring, but you couldn’t say no to the smiling faces of the kids.
It was now Sunday and we were a rest day for our initial efforts on what will be a long and rewarding 3 months. A quick 45 minute drive and we were in Voi Town for a beautiful buffet and a casual swim at the resort. After stacking up on stocks and snagging a Kenyan sim card to contact the worrying parents, we headed back to camp.
The next day we headed back to Sasenyi Primary School and repeated what we did before. It was lovely to see children bounding over from the road, ready to get another ride in the wheel barrows, despite the strenuous pain on the biceps. The foundation wall was completed, the floor of the school was finished and finally we accomplished something and could stand back and be proud. Yet, there was much more to come.
Day 6 was quiet possibly the hardest day so far as we set out for sanctuary maintenance. Our job was to use machetes to cut down overgrown trees with huge spikes, to allow for an easier path for the vehicles. Xavier, Tom, Jock and Geason all put in a massive effort despite getting cut several times in several places. The rest were digging a passage trench for the flow of water to a close by watering hole. This maximised the water for elephants in the sanctuary.
Afterwards we visited the traditional Maasai people. The Maasai is a small family living within a traditional camp and are traditionally known for their dances in which they jump astoundingly high. Some were even lucky enough to get within the dance and jump their highest, such as Rose, Zoia, Tom, Geason and Mikey.
Overall, our time so far has been no doubt nothing we could have expected. The transition has generally been of ease, due to the easy going camp members such as Peter and Ken and the mere fact we are here to make a difference. And a difference we made.
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