24 KILTIMANY KIDS ENTER A NEW DIMENSION

You don’t have to travel to the moon to enter a “new dimension”. Twenty-four Kiltimany Village, Samburu  region kids found it right in their own backyard this April 2013. One day totally changed their perception of the wildlife next to their community. Traveling like tourists in two Samburu Intrepids’ rugged 4-wheel drive open safari vehicles, it came as a big surprise that this wildlife  was more worth conserving than simply a hazard of growing up with wildlife. They came away feeling they could now do anything, as their self-esteem soared into this new dimension. “I gained nearly my entire understanding of wildlife conservation from that moment on a KKOS game drive at Samburu Intrepids!” notes Lavias Lekuuk in his written summary of the importance of his experience.

This was their first time into the Reserve, except for two kids, who had been on a previous Kenyan Kids On Safari (KKOS) into the Samburu National Reserve. It was also their first time to take pictures of animals and friends with a quality 16mp telephoto camera. In short order they were taking pictures like pros, such as the fantastic, one-of-a-kind, rare photo of gamboling Kudus below, taken by Lavias Lekuuk, who is a 15-year old eight grader at the Waso Muslim Primary School.

It was their first time to eat breakfast with tourists, picking whatever they wanted from the lavish Intrepids’ buffet. It was the first time to set up their own camping tents by the Intepids’ pool, in which they played water polo for the first time.

They asked if I would be back to give their friends and classmates a chance to learn from a similar experience.My answer - Tutaonana tena! (See you again later on.) – Todd Cromwell, Founding Director

TOURISTS LOVE THE KID'S

CONSERVATION SONGS

For two consecutive nights each group of 12 of 24 kids sang songs and recited conservation poetry  for the enthralled Intrepids' tourists. A recording studio is looking into the feasibility of making  a DVD of the kids’ performance to promote  Kenyan conservation.

Intrepids’ Samburu Manager Richard Yoga made sure that everything was done to make the kids’ visit spectacular, including assigning Naturalist, Francis Lenyakopiro (below) to work with KKOS around the clock the four days we were there. Thanks to the entire Intrepids’ staff and the Young Adventurers Club, headed by Betty Wanjau.