Background

Africa Conservation Education Fund is a program of Africa Network for Animal Welfare. The program was designed to ensure access to quality education for marginalised communities living in wildlife areas by sponsoring primary and secondary school education for needy children both in and out of school and support vocational training and skills development for enterprising youth.

The program shall start with support to a particular community called the Waatha, also called the elephant people, who are found in the Tsavo wildlife area. The Waatha originally lived off the forest by hunting for bushmeat and gathering honey. Following their forceful eviction from the forest the Waatha have taken up farming in a region unfortunately experiences frequent dry spells and crop failure. Conservation efforts by the government of Kenya such as penalties on bushmeat hunting and a ban on charcoal burning have left the community without an alternative means of livelihood outside the forested areas.

Young children of school going age delay starting school because of the long distance to school and the added risk of wildlife in the 15-20 km stretch to the only school in Jira Primary School, Shirango. Many families have sold off all their farmland to see their children educated through secondary school. Some students hardly attend school or drop out all together because of lack of school fees.

The program will benefit financially needy Waatha children who attend poorly resourced public schools and tertiary colleges in the wildlife corridors of the Tsavo ecosystem.

Through scholarship and school improvement, we expect to curb wastage in the education cycle, see an increase in school attendance and better academic performance. We expect increased transition into secondary schools and tertiary institution. Education scholarship will create a once in a lifetime chance to obtain academic certificates which are important in the search of gainful employment.

The program will also benefit the large population of out-of-school, unskilled, unemployed youth in Shirango area. Through bursaries for vocational training, youth will be empowered and skilled to develop alternative sources of income which are different from bushmeat trade and charcoal burning activities.

How You Can Help

Select your donation

Primary School 17 USD will keep a child in pre-school for a year 13 USD will keep a child in lower primary school for a year 14USD will keep a child in middle school for a year. 15USD will keep a child in upper primary school for a year. 120USD will pay for 8 years education for a pupil in primary school.

Secondary School 150 USD will keep a secondary school student in a day school for a year. 405 USD will keep a secondary school student in boarding school for a year. 600USD will pay for 4 years secondary school education for student in day school. 1620USD will pay for 4 years secondary school education for a student in boarding school.

Tertiary Learning 510 USD will pay for 1year vocational training in a college for one youth. 1,200 USD willl pay fees for a university student for a year