Richard Leakey appeals for help, crisis looming in Kenya's
Masai Mara region
The cheetah is one of six species of cat living
in the Masai Mara.
Photo by Rick
LoBello.
Sadly my beloved country Kenya has been in the news a
great deal in the past few weeks, and the news has not been good. We have
problems and these were triggered by the outcome of the Presidential election
where the result was close, and where there is plenty of evidence for rigging.
The dispute led to violence which has deteriorated into inter-ethnic fighting in
certain parts of the country. Tragic scenes and news fill the media and a sense
of doom, gloom and fear is palpable. The violence is not directed against
foreigners or tourists in any way and much of Kenya is untouched by it. The main
airports are functioning normally and the National Parks, the Game Reserves and
the wildlife sanctuaries are perfectly safe from this fighting.
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Charcoal industry in the Congo threatens the
Mountain Gorillas
The 2-5 year goal of this project is to eventually reach 100,000 households in
the Goma area, which is the primary demand center for illegal charcoal coming
out of Virunga NP. As such, one of the main parts of this initiative is
fundraising to support the scope of this project. As Pam suggested, it will be
vital to tap into the microfinance arena. Even beyond this, we are looking for
ways to catch the attention of organizations such as the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund. If you know of anyone with connections or expertise
related to working with microfinance entities or the bigger institutions, please
look into those. I always come back my 6 degrees of separation philosophy…
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