As we build towards Giving Tuesday, we continue to shine a spotlight on the partners and projects we work alongside and support throughout East Africa. Our partners are supported by every guest that spends a night in an Asilia camp, as well as through the Asilia Giving platform which combines contributions made by Asilia with private donations from individuals.
Southern Kenya Impact Partners
In Southern Kenya we work alongside a number of impact partners who share our community-led approach. Many of these relationships are long-established, multi-year partnerships funding projects that strengthen education, improve livelihoods and help communities share in the benefits of protecting wild landscapes. Recently we have taken on a new partner to support a project close to our office in Nairobi.
The Lavington Five Roads Association, Nairobi
The Lavington Five Roads Association is a resident’s association that represents the interests of residents in the Lavington area of Nairobi. As a group they support several community projects including funding projects for schools and children from neighbouring informal settlements. One of the schools they partner with is Muthangari Primary School, located along Mbabane Road, serving more than 800 pupils, many from the nearby Gatina and Waruku settlements.
Asilia’s funding will contribute to the construction of a new sanitation block. The school’s existing facilities are overcrowded and in poor disrepair which means many girls are opting to miss school during their menstrual cycle due to the conditions. As LFRA’s project lead Kui Njoroge explains, “for teenage girls, having comfortable bathrooms matters. Without them, they often stay home during their period, missing lessons they can’t easily catch up on.” For younger pupils, better sanitation also means fewer infections and consequently also less time away from school. The new block will provide clean, safe, and dignified toilets for pupils and staff when work begins in November.
Our Wider Partnerships in Southern Kenya
The Wildlife Tourism College of Maasai Mara
Based in Pardamat Conservancy within the Greater Mara Area, the Wildlife Tourism College trains young people from surrounding communities in guiding, hospitality, and tourism operations. The college offers nationally accredited courses and practical internships that open real pathways into tourism-based employment. Asilia’s support funds scholarships for students who would otherwise have no access to tertiary education, building a generation of locally trained professionals.
Kenya Wildlife Trust
Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT) focuses on scientific research and community programmes that protect Kenya’s predators and the landscapes they depend on. Its work spans three pillars: Predators, People, and Partnerships. Through our partnership, KWT has strengthened lion-conflict response networks, run poison-response community meetings, and engaged over a thousand pupils through wildlife clubs providing conservation education to youths.
Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association
As the umbrella body representing conservancies across the Greater Mara Area, Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association helps landowners and tourism partners manage land sustainably and keep wildlife corridors open. Our funding supports governance meetings, ranger operations, and land-trust registration in emerging conservancies such as Mara Isinya and Mara East, work that secures both habitat and community income from conservation leases.
The Maa Trust
The Maa Trust links conservation directly to social progress. Its programmes span education and child protection, health and water access, and women’s livelihoods through enterprises like Maa Beadwork and Maa Honey. Support from Asilia and Nawiri funds scholarships, the Talek Maternal Newborn and Child Health Centre, and alternative rites of passage that reduce school dropouts among girls.
Together, these partnerships reflect a connected approach that keeps people and wildlife thriving side by side.
We are proud to support these partners in their efforts to improve community livelihoods and conservation initiatives in southern Kenya. This Giving Tuesday, consider making a donation to Asilia Giving – the philanthropic arm of Asilia. Full donation amounts are used in support of our implementing partners, ensuring the longevity and reach of their programmes.
