The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust continues to support marginalised communities and schools bordering Tsavo East National Park. This support comes in many forms including a daily school lunch program, which was established in 2022. Due to national school holidays this lunch program took place during May and June only.
In communities bordering Kenya’s National Parks, children grow up alongside wildlife, but they have few opportunities to learn about the natural world that surrounds them. The SWT’s School Conservation Trips offer children an opportunity to enjoy their National Parks and interact with wildlife and natural habitats, whilst learning about flora and fauna and the importance of coexisting and protecting their natural heritage.
During the month of June the SWT Community Outreach Team led 25 School Trips to Tsavo West National Park and 10 to Tsavo East National Park. During these exciting and fun-filled days out within Tsavo East, 300 children visited the SWT's Ithumba Elephant Orphans mud bath. These visits are one of the highlights of the trip and the children get the opportunity to interact with the Elephant Keepers and their elephant orphans, learning about the importance of the work of the SWT and the difficulties in rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned elephants. Most importantly they learn how elephants and other wild creatures come to be orphaned and how everyone can work together to stop it from happening.
In September the Trust donated 25 of these desks to Kyusiani Primary School. This school lies between Tsavo East and West National Parks.