Managing the interaction between humans and wildlife is one of the core objectives of Borana Conservancy. As a result, Borana not only invests heavily in the direct protection of wildlife with rangers on the ground, but also in building local livelihoods.
From inception, Borana has shared the benefits of tourism with our neighbours and contributed to initiate a positive change in the perception of wildlife by increasing its potential value.
To do this Borana has supported the development of various community tourism enterprises, as well as a Mobile Health Clinic and the Borana Education Support Programme.
Importantly our rangers are now seen as a resource that our wider community has a true sense of ownership of, providing security and reducing conflict between farmers with wildlife.
The Borana Mobile Clinic
Since 2005, in partnership with the Ministry Of Health, the Borana Mobile Clinic has been providing basic health care, health lectures, HIV Aids awareness, antenatal advice, child immunisation programmes and family planning to Borana’s neighbouring communities.
The majority of our neighbourhoods do not have adequate access to basic health care, people from areas such as Tassia and Sanga have to travel extremely long distances to access any form of simple medical care or sanitation.
The Borana Mobile Clinic team consists of two nurses and a driver, together they visit ten communities on a two-week rotation, treating on average over 700 patients per month and travelling over 1000 miles.
The nurses also provide support and counselling to students at the schools which are pat of the Borana Education Support Programme, as well as health education to members of each community, focusing on hygiene and nutrition.
Over the past decade the clinic has carried out over 220,000 consultations.
The Borana Education Support Programme
Education sets young people free…
The Borana Education Support Programme (BESP) works closely with our local communities, inspiring the lives and futures of children. The focus of the education programme remains on the communities in the immediate surroundings, with investments focused on facilities, teaching tools and the schools’ conservation efforts. Since 2009, over 400 scholarships have been awarded to students from our neighbouring communities and the salaries of over 100 teachers sustained.
Borana supports seven Primary schools: Ethi Primary school, Chumvi Primary School, Kanyunga Primary School, Sanga Primary School, Lokusero Primary School, Arijuju Primary School and Ol Kinyie Primary School. From these seven Primary schools, the BESP provides secondary school bursaries to the top achieving students in their Kenya Certificate of Primary Eduction (KCPE) final exams. Borana works closely with the Lewa Education Programme to ensure widespread support for these top achieving students.
Once the students have been awarded a bursary, the BESP continue to provide support for the following four years throughout their secondary education. After which, the top achievers from the bursary students who are admitted to the Regular University Programme then qualify to be sponsored from the BESP through their university education.
Currently, the Borana Education Support Programme supports 49 students through bursaries, 36 students in secondary education and 13 in tertiary and university education.
The aim of the programme is to promote education and literacy levels in our neighbouring communities and to ensure that individuals who have been part of the BESP will be competitive in the job market and able to secure suitable employment. Our building team builds class rooms, labs, libraries, staff housing and ablution facilities at all the schools we support and we also develop permaculture gardens to encourage healthy diet and holistic farming methods.
Borana is also working on the establishment of a rangeland management and leadership school which aims to create a permanent infrastructure, veterinary clinic and stock area to teach holistic rangeland management.
Teachers are paramount in inspiring and encouraging young minds to see a future and a value in conservation and the environment. There is a widespread teacher shortage in both secondary and primary schools in our neighbouring communities and as a result these institutions seek support from Borana. Through the provision of teacher salaries, Borana is able to ensure the correct student to teacher ratio, bridging the gap the government is unable to fill.
Currently, Borana pays the salaries of 15 teachers every month, 12 of which are primary school teachers and 3 of which are secondary school teachers.
Water
During 2019 Borana Conservancy provided 618,000 ltrs of fresh water to seven neighbourhoods during the dry months.
With support from the Conservancy, a solar borehole was installed at Sanga Primary School to the North providing clean water to over 150 students, previously this school was the only school in the landscape without piped water.
We also provide fresh water at each of our gate houses for collection from community members.
Culture
Borana is set in rich external and internal cultural contexts, surrounded by the flamboyant Maasai culture and built on a long history of land stewardship. Borana is also home to the pioneering Dyer family for four generations who started managing the land at the beginning of the last century. In 2019, Borana Lodge guests were the largest financial contributor in visits to the nearby Ngare Ndare Forest and the traditional Arijuju Maasai village, with all funds generated going directly to the these communities.
All properties on Borana Conservancy provide equal opportunity for employment and encourage their guests to support local women by selling traditionally beaded items in the shop. Beading is a great generator of equality in remote communities, it allows women to remain in their traditional role as mothers, carers and home makers whilst generating an independent income and interacting with other cultures.
Guests are also encouraged to spend time with parts of the Borana Conservancy anti-poaching team through various activities. Allowing guests to interact with the rangers and learn about their culture along with the culture of conservation, which is so integral to Borana.
Livestock to Market Programme
During 2014, the elders from the Il N’gwesi and Makurian communities approached the Borana management team with a request to manage the cattle that they were already leasing grazing for on the Conservancy. This initiated Borana’s Livestock to Market Programme launched in 2016, a social enterprise that is supported by The Kenyan Market Trust and Borana Ranch Limited. To date, this project has generated an incredible USD $433,536 worth of sales benefiting over 545 community members.
The selected committee, made up of two elders from six neighbourhoods, organise and select the cattle from their communities to participate in the scheme. The cattle are brought to Borana where they are vetted to ensure the criteria for the project. The maximum number of cattle one individual is able to bring to the scheme is 20, thereby ensuring a fair distribution of participation amongst livestock owners in the project.
The cattle are weighed upon arrival at Borana and given an identification number and entry value based upon KES 130/- (approximately $1.30 USD) per kg live weight. Six to eight months later, after grazing on Borana and under Borana management, the animal is sold to market and the owner is paid the original entry value of the animal plus 80% of the weight gain value. Borana retains 20% of the weight gain value to cover grazing, veterinary and dipping costs.
Since 2017, 876 steers and 276 cull cows sold under the scheme generating KES 46,026,062/- to the local communities.
