Preparations are underway and folks are getting excited about this years Summer Programme of volunteering. 3 young ladies from UK will be spending a month with the Maasai Askari Enkito village in Amboseli.

There was “a relocation, in February 2010, of 7,000 wilderbeest and zebras by the Kenyan wildlife Service to Amboseli National Park, famed for the spectacular views of Mt Kilimanjaro and the elephant population….

Last year, the drought left millions hungry, killed livestock, evaporated lakes and streams and …. Amboseli was severely affected … 60% of the zebra and wildebeest population died, severely compromising the ecological balance of the park and its surrounding areas….In addition, the drought took 50% to 80% of the Maasai cattle herds. Predators lost their prey base and lions, already critically endangered in Kenya, also faced starvation, so they turned to killing the few remaining cattle and other Maasai livestock…

The initiative will ensure the preservation of the ecosystem in the Amboseli. ..” [link to article]

To help the village to avoid these problems and other water conflicts we’d like to help by either sinking a well in the village or using other water solutions. Quotes for wells are coming in at anywhere from $100 – $4000 but I’m sure with the maasai labour we can hire the equipment and expertise to do this for much cheaper. We’re also getting “Extraordinary” help from a source I can’t reveal .. yet! .. a fantastic new service to non-profits we’re working with.

The wonderful guys at Excellent Development in London have also advised us on a widely researched and tested, practical and natural solution for semi-arid areas called Sand-damming. This utilises existing river beds to build a small dam just a few metres across and 2/3m high. During the rainy season obviously a large area of water can be built up but the area will soon fill with sand. During the dry season this sand can constitute between 25-40% water.

If you know anyone who can help during August, or wants to sponsor this project, or knows a company that would like to offer support, please let us know.

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