In January of this year, I had the amazing opportunity to revisit Naboisho, and reconnect with so many friends there who are deeply and positively involved in the project. On a previous trip there, I had learned that Naboisho means “coming together” and indeed, what you see there as a guest is a remarkable convergence of amazing camp operators, a dynamic and engaged community and the amazing benefit of tourism dollars – when it all comes together it is a beautiful thing to see indeed.
Naboisho is part of the remarkable conservancy movement in Kenya – more specifically, Naboiosho and the surrounding conservancies have doubled the area that is protected in the greater Mara region. As a 50,000 acre conservancy integrated into the Masai Mara National Reserve and sittingin a critical area for the wildlife migration, Naboisho has flourished and grown remarkably since I first visited almost five years ago.
Not only does Naboisho provide a sanctuary for wildlife, it provides monthly rent payments to over 500 Maasai families and provides employment for hundreds of people, from safari guides to chefs.
Projects such as The Maa Trust – powered in a great part by the conservancies – provides additonal jobs and opportunities – created projects for women to also be employed and empowered.
All of this is at risk.
Already we are hearing stories of conservancies running into significant financial difficulties – and what would happen to them? The land would be sold; it may well become a ranch or rice farm and the opportunity that I had, to visit a place like this, with my children, will be gone forever.
So that’s how we came up with the idea and thank you for reading, and for your help.
TRAVEL ON THE GOOD 