Throughout the year we bring children from local communities to our camps for a 4-day educational programme, known as Twende Porini. Meaning “let’s go to the bush”, the programme teaches these children about conservation and wildlife in fun and interesting ways while treating the kids to a safari experience, too.
How Are The Children Chosen?
In the Masai Mara, we work together with the Kenya Wildlife Trust and the Mara Elephant Project, who have wildlife clubs in schools surrounding the Naboisho, Mara North and Olare Motorogi conservancies. About six weeks out from a planned Twende Porini trip we run competitions within the various schools to select students from each school in order to make up a group of 20 children in total. With the winners selected, a letter is sent to them and their families, alerting them that they have been chosen to join a Twende Porini adventure! We provide a list of basic items that the children would need to bring on a safari but, as this is something that most of them have never experienced before, much of what they need is supplied to them in camp.
On the first day of a Twende Porini programme, the kids are picked up in a game drive vehicle at 8 am from their various schools. The children are divided into four groups and assigned a mentor who stays with them during in-camp activities and game drives, and is there to help them throughout their stay. The children are then asked to choose a team name and are taken to their tents, there is always great excitement when the kids see the rooms! They cannot believe that they get to stay for three nights in a room like this. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but they soon relax and start enjoying it all.
What Do The Children Get Up To?
The children are treated to two game drives a day, one in the early morning and one after tea in the afternoon. Game drives are the favourite activity for many of the children! Each vehicle takes five children and their mentor on a guided drive through the grasslands with one of our qualified guides. Our guides are almost always from the Maasai culture as well so the children really do bond with them and, in the end, look up to the guides and are inspired by the work they do. Our guides thoroughly enjoy inspiring, encouraging and teaching the young generation of tomorrow and take great pride in doing so.
For many of the children, these game drives will be their first interactions with wildlife in a non-threatening environment. Coming from villages where human-wildlife conflict can be a daily occurrence, many of the children may only have negative connotations associated to the presence of an elephant or the close proximity of a lion. The educational element of Twende Porini focusses on providing an understanding about the importance of wildlife and the need for it to be protected, with the aim of fostering an interest in conservation and creating a future generation of wildlife ambassadors.
Each day, our Positive Impact partners present educational sessions for the children, teaching them about environmental awareness and caring for nature. These sessions last roughly half an hour and incorporate lots of fun games so that the children aren’t bored. The children take part in yoga lessons and lots of dancing as well – these activities usually end up in lots of laughs and giggles!
We’ve added a range of other fun activities for the children to entertain themselves with – an art station, footballs, skipping ropes, and frisbees are available for the children to use and play with during their stay with us. Colouring in and drawing the animals they have seen on their game drives pairs well with informative talks about wildlife and the importance of protecting the natural spaces needed for wildlife to thrive.
Meal times in camp are another highlight, where the children sit down together to enjoy the delights prepared in camp kitchens. While traditional favourites are featured, the children are also exposed to new flavours and delicacies, much to the enjoyment of the chefs. Afternoon tea is always highly anticipated, when a selection of sweet pastries and cakes are provided ahead of an afternoon game drive.
Fond Farewells
On the last day of Twende Porini, we pull out all the stops with a delicious farewell lunch and ceremony. Every child and member of staff receives a certificate to state that they have taken part in the programme, and every child receives an extra special prize that is unique to them. There are always lots of hugs when the children’s time with us comes to an end, they form a strong bond with their mentors and our teams. It is so special to see how much the programme means to them and how much of an impact it has in their lives.
Once all the children have left and only the camp team and mentors remain, we have a big BBQ to celebrate a successful Twende Porini! Goat meat, drinks and cake are enjoyed and we all share our favourite moments from our time spent with the children. It is an absolute pleasure to be a part of such a special and important programme, and one that I hope only grows from strength to strength.
Twende Porini is an in-house Asilia initiative, funded in part by Asilia Giving. Each night a guest spends in an Asilia camp generates $20 towards Asilia Giving, creating a mechanism where tourism can support communities, and communities can support conservation. Contact us today to learn more about how you can travel with purpose and enhance the impact of your safari experience.
