Governors’ Camp Collection Responsible Tourism
For over 35 years Governors Camp and its clients have been working hand in hand with its community neighbours running community support and conservation programs that have delivered real results. In many cases, we are now working directly with the sons and daughters of community elders that we started working with 30 years ago. Governors Camp is extremely proud of its achievements. We will continue to work quietly on projects that our community neighbours ask us to support.
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It is the policy of Governors’ Camp to support local communities in our area of operations. We recognize that in order to conserve these unique wild areas of Africa, the local communities must benefit directly from Tourism.
This portion of the website gives you just a flavour of some of our projects and partners and the work we are doing. We would welcome your support – come and see what we and our partners are doing on the ground, and if you are interested, speak to us about how you can contribute towards our goals.
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• Mara Rianda Primary School
• Masai Mara Biogas Project
• Masai Mara Eye Clinic
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• Loldia Primary School
• Mfanagano Primary School
• Karen Street Children’s Trust
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• Responsible Tourism Rwanda
• Governors’ Tree Planting Project |
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Mara Rianda Primary School
Together with our clients, Governors’ Camp has been supporting Mara Rianda Primary School near the Masai Mara for many years. To date, our support has included :
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• Construction of 5 classrooms & one library
• Construction of accommodation for 6 teachers
• Installation of rainwater collection & storage systems
• Installation of solar lighting
• Payment of salaries of 4 teachers
• Sponsorship of 3 exceptional students through Secondary School
• Donation of books, stationery and teaching materials
• Equipping all classrooms with desks
• Constructed a bio-gas plant to provide the community with free cooking fuel |
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The Mara Rianda Charitable Trust, a UK registered charity established in 2004 by clients of Governors’ Camp has, together with Governors’ Camp:
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• Installed a borehole to supply fresh water
• Funded the construction of a water storage tower and storage tanks
• Installed water purification and washing facilities
• Funded the re-painting of all classrooms
• Constructed a fence around the school
• Paid the salaries of 3 teachers
• Donated large quantities of books, stationery and teaching materials
•Provided bursaries to exceptional students through Secondary School
• Provided teaching materials to a feeder pre school unit in a nearby manyatta |
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Mara Rianda Charitable Trust is planning construction of additional classrooms and washroom facilities at Mara Rianda Primary School. Together with the Governors’ Camp the Trust is now exploring the options for supporting other local educational establishments, such as the primary school at Aitong and is discussing with local leaders their desire to see a secondary school in the area.
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Mara Bio-Gas Plant
The constant search for firewood to use as cooking fuel is a permanent problem for women in traditional Masai communities, is backbreaking labour, and occupies much time that could otherwise be used in more economically productive activities. The demand for firewood also puts pressure on and threatens fragile woodlands in the wilderness areas near these communities.
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In a pioneering effort to combat these twin problems Governors Camp funded the construction of a bio-gas plant in a Manyatta (traditional Masai homestead) near Mara Rianda village. This bio-gas plant uses the dung of cattle and goats corralled in the Manyatta at night to fuel the production of methane gas which is piped into each and every house in the Manyatta (over forty houses are supplied with gas) for cooking on. |
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This project has freed up time for the women of the Manyatta to pursue more economically productive activities than the collection of firewood and has simultaneously lessened the pressure on adjacent woodlands. Indeed these woodlands are now beginning to regenerate and return to their natural state and the local ecosystems are beginning to thrive once again. Another benefit is that the number of flies in the manyatta has decreased a lot and with this the incidence of fly born/ transmitted diseases and infections has also gone done markedly.
Governors Camp is now raising funds to roll out similar bio-gas plants in other Manyattas and is proud to have been the first to use 21st Century bio-gas technology to solve some very pressing local problems in Masai-land. |
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| Governors’ Eye clinic |
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Governors’ Camp recently hosted a free eye clinic for the Masai Community in conjunction with the Kwale Eye Centre and AMREF. Eye disease which leads to poor eye sight and blindness is relatively common amongst the Masai communities living around the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Living in an area where there are lots of dangerous wild animals, blindness can be devastating for the Masai. |
Over a period of 6 months patients were screened from the surrounding Transmara and Narok districts, and those thought to be suitable for surgery were invited to attend the free camp. A surgical team was flown in from the Kwale Eye centre (courtesy of MEAK and Mombasa Air Services), and a further educational team was provided by AMREF.
Governors’ Camp organized a special camp, which on one night alone accommodated 135 Masai patients, and we provided meals for all throughout as well as organising transport and to and from the clinic from all parts of the district. |
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In total 322 patients were brought in and screened for various eye conditions. 141 were operated on for cataracts and trachoma, and most dramatically 33 patients who had previously been blind had their sight restored. There were scenes of joy and excitement from the patients as the bandages were removed. One Masai elder, previously blind, peeped from under the dressings before the surgeon arrived, and exclaimed that he had seen an elephant on the edge of the camp! Another punched the air and remarked that he would now be able to see and count his cattle again. A Masai lady sat next to her friend and told everyone that she had not seen her face for fifteen years. It was an emotional time for all. |
AMREF’’s team from Magadi also provided Teaching sessions and demonstrations, encouraging basic hygiene and eye care in the manyattas.
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Governors’ Tree Planting Project
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Elephants in their constant search for food knock down trees, it’s just something that they do….Often they will strip and eat a few branches of vegetation and then leave the rest of the tree to die. Over the years we have seen the Riverine forest of the Mara around the Mara river decline and shrink drastically. In an attempt to reverse this trend we have initiated a tree planting project. |
• Since 1998 we have been planting an average of 45 trees per month
• That is a total of 5400 trees planted around all our camps so far and it doesn’t stop there..
• We have given the local school 500 trees to plant.
• As well as 800 trees to other camps and individuals.
• We have only used indigenous trees to Kenya which include Sausage Trees, Gardinia, Fig, Pepper, Croton, Quinine and many others.
• We have made this tree project a priority and will continue with it. |
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Mfangano school project
At Mfangano there is an even more primitive school, with no permanent buildings. In 2005 Aris Grammaticas, Managing Director of Musiara Ltd - Governors Camp was named patron of the school after he equipped 2 classrooms with desks and blackboards (previously there were none), and started a fund for fees for orphans.
Governors Camp is following this up with a donation of text and exercise books for the top two classes and have also pledged to assist the villagers in rebuilding a classroom block that has collapsed. Governor Camp clients also visit the school, and often donate towards the orphan fund. |
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Community Support Projects - Rwanda
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Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is a world-class lodge that was conceived, built and operated by Governors Camp. In partnership with the African Wildlife Foundation (“AWF”) and its partner in Rwanda, the International Gorilla Conservation Program (“IGCP”), it was decided that ownership of the lodge would rest with a Community Trust to be set up specifically to receive rental and other income from the lodge, and to use that income to drive socio-economic development and conservation initiatives in the Kinigi area, which is adjacent to the Parc National des Volcans in North Western Rwanda. |
A Community Trust, SACOLA, was established, business plans prepared, construction funds sourced and detailed architectural plans drawn up. In May 2006 all legal agreements were signed between Governors Camp’s Rwandese subsidiary, Governors Camp Rwanda Ltd, and SACOLA, and these agreements were indorsed by AWF / IGCP and the Organisation Rwandaise du Tourism et des Parcs Nationaux (“ORTPN”), the Rwandese Tourism and National Parks Authority. In June 2006 construction began, and the first clients were accommodated in mid-August 2007. |
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SACOLA began its socio-economic development programs and conservation initiatives in Kinigi, the area adjacent to the Parc National des Volcans, home of the Mountain Gorilla, in September 2007. It is believed that SACOLA’s programs will both improve the livelihoods of residents in the Kinigi area and contribute in a meaningful way to conservation and preservation of the Mountain Gorilla and its fragile habitat. SACOLA’s programs will also complement the excellent conservation work being done in the region by AWF (www.awf.org) and its local partner, IGCP (www.igcp.org).
Special thanks must also go to Gaylord and Kathy Layton of Tayside Associates LLC who were also instrumental in getting this landmark project off the ground. |
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Karen Street Children’s Trust
The Karen Street Children’s Trust was established in 1995 with the purpose of rehabilitating children who had drifted on to the streets in the suburban area of Karen. These children all came from very impoverished backgrounds and were living desperate lives surviving on whatever they could find. The project was so successful in helping these children rebuild their lives and get back into education that there are now no street children in the area. The project now helps children who are selected on the grounds of family circumstance, level of destitution and high academic potential, to provide education opportunities through secondary school and college. To date 116 children have been helped.
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Governors’ has supported this charity from its inception with logistical support, apprentiship training schemes (especially in our motor vehicle workshops in the Masai Mara), job opportunities and long term employment. Indeed amongst others, one of our trusted and university qualified accountants in head office has come through this scheme. It is a fantastic project which we are very proud to be allied with and will continue to support. |
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