In the villages that sit at the edge of East Africa’s protected areas, childhood is shaped by proximity. Elephants can venture into crop fields decimating family income in a single night. The sounds of lions calling represents a threat to livestock.
For many children, wildlife isn’t something viewed as majestic and magnificent, it is something that affects daily life and is often only viewed through the family lens of economic threat, crop destruction, and danger to life. Life in rural areas is often tough, and land is a resource needed for survival.
If the future of these ecosystems depends on the people who live alongside them, then the long-term trajectory of their health relies on children and the opportunities they are given.
Education as a starting point
In Tanzania, rural literacy rates are significantly lower than in urban areas. In a country where employment prospects and livelihoods are already challenged, opportunity for children in rural areas can be limited. Education is one of our core impact pillars focusing both on access to and quality of education.
Through partners like Kamitei Foundation, we focus on improving the conditions around learning. Supplying books, teacher training, additional teacher salaries to improve student–teacher ratios, and the provision of desks, books and other learning material to support better learning environments. This support now reaches tens of thousands of students each year, helping to build the foundations for more stable, self-reliant communities. Education opens pathways and gives children options. It creates a link between learning and livelihoods, from tourism to enterprise, and ultimately as people enter diverse careers it can reduce pressure on the land being used for subsistence farming.
Health as a barrier to education
In rural communities, untreated vision problems are common. Infections from dust and unclean water, poor nutrition, and limited access to care all contribute. Many children simply cannot see properly in class. They attend school, but struggle to follow lessons, read the board, or keep up academically.
Even when families recognise the issue, the choice is difficult. Glasses cost money and food comes first.
Each year we support medical outreach and eye care programmes in rural areas to support access to treatment. Something as simple as a pair of glasses can change the outcome for learners. A child who could not read can suddenly engage and students who were falling behind can start to catch up.
Health challenges extend beyond vision. In many households, cooking is done over open fires. Burns are common, particularly among children. When these injuries heal without treatment, scar tissue can restrict movement, affect daily function, and limit a child’s ability to attend school. Through Kafika House we are supporting access to surgery and treatment allows those children to return to education without long-term physical barriers shaping their future.
Changing the environment around learning
Sometimes the barrier is not in the classroom, but in the systems around it. In Kenya’s South Western Mau, schools serve large student populations, often averaging hundreds of pupils. Cooking for that number requires significant fuel wood, driving pressure on surrounding forests and exposing children to smoke and the associated health risks around this.
Through our partnership with Rhino Ark, energy-saving jikos (a portable charcoal-burning stove) for cooking were introduced into 12 schools at the end of last year. The impact has been immediate and practical, benefitting both the forest and children with fuel wood use reduced by up to 70% and a time saving in daily routines of around 40 minutes per learner per day.
In many rural schools where water is scarce and toilets are poorly maintained, sanitation can become a barrier to learning. Illness spreads quickly and children miss days of school as a result. Something as simple as a place to wash hands, or a clean, functioning toilet, changes how often children are able to attend and how they feel when they are there.
For girls, the impact is even more direct. Without private, safe facilities and a way to manage menstrual hygiene, many will stay home during their periods or drop out altogether. Through our partnership with Afya Plus we are supporting programmes which focus on improving basic conditions, for example funding the rehabilitation of toilet facilities, installation of handwashing stations and the construction of new water towers supplying running water to the school.
Building a different relationship with wildlife
For many children growing up near protected areas, their first experiences of wildlife are shaped by conflict. Crops damaged or livestock taken with fear and distrust of wildlife passed down through generations.
Changing that relationship early is critical. Through our partners we support a number of conservation education programmes, wildlife clubs, and school-based learning, so that children begin to understand the role of ecosystems, the value of biodiversity, and the opportunities linked to conservation. These programmes now reach tens of thousands of learners, supported by trained teachers and community conservation champions.
Experiences like our Twende Porini programme take this further. This in-house initiative welcomes children from surrounding communities into Asilia camps to experience first-hand what a safari is all about. For many of them, it is their first-time inside a national park, and to view wildlife in a non-threatening environment. Through a safari experience, wildlife becomes something to understand and value, laying the foundation for long-term coexistence.
Overcoming cultural expectation
In some communities, the biggest barrier is expectation. In parts of the Maasai Mara, traditional rites of passage have historically marked the transition into adulthood, often leading to early marriage and the end of education for girls. Programmes like the Community-Led Alternative Rite of Passage (CLARP) run through The Maa Trust offer a different path.
Girls take part in mentorship camps, learning about health, rights, and future opportunities, graduating in ceremonies that hold the same cultural weight, but without ending their education. Since 2022, hundreds of girls have gone through the programme, and all have remained in school. Programmes such as CLARP help change expectations for young girls across families and communities.
Looking at the bigger picture
Focusing on children is not a short-term solution. Education, health, and exposure to opportunity shape how the next generation interacts with the land, with wildlife, and with each other. Over time, that builds communities that are more resilient, more informed, and better equipped to manage the landscapes they live within. The outcomes of these projects will help determine the future of both people and ecosystems across these landscapes.
Every guest that stays with Asilia contributes to the people and places of East Africa through these initiatives. Ready to join us?
