Hope for children in need & a forest under threat

A Rocha Kenya is a conservation organization committed to working with local communities to have them thrive and, in so doing, protect rare and unique wildlife on the Kenyan coast. This campaign is specifically raising funds to allow children to attend high school and, in the process, save one of Africa’s most precious forests, the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest (ASF).

By donating, it is a win-win-win situation! Children win by getting an education, 80% of whom otherwise can’t afford it. Families win by being assisted with alternative livelihoods and having their children have a chance to get good jobs. The forest wins by being actively protected rather than exploited.

Families living around Arabuko-Sokoke Forest on the Kenyan coast struggle to make ends meet. Soils are poor, and a drying climate makes farming very hard. Paying High School fees is particularly difficult. Parents are invariably forced to illegally cut trees for timber/charcoal and trap animals for bushmeat from the adjacent forest to earn cash for school fees.

ASF is renowned globally for its rare and threatened wildlife. Worldwide, the Golden-rumped Sengi (or elephant-shrew) is only found in and near ASF. The same for Clarke’s Weaver. Africa’s smallest owl, the Sokoke Scops Owl (4” tall), has 90% of the world’s population in ASF. It is a beautiful and diverse forest – but threatened by illegal logging and trapping.

That is why the ASSETS program (Arabuko-Sokoke Schools and Eco-Tourism Scheme) was introduced: to help meet the needs of the local communities while assisting conserve this incredible forest.

ASSETS has operated for 20 years and has made a real difference for over 730 families. Their attitudes and behavior have changed to be favorable toward forest conservation. With other contributions and funds raised through local eco-tourism, your donation will be distributed to struggling families as high school bursaries. As a result, many local children who otherwise would have been unable to afford school can now get an education- and the forest is protected.

Currently, 135 students and their families are being supported through ASSETS. But we need your help to continue paying their school fees! Since COVID, we have struggled to raise funds for school fees.

For the price of only 3-4 cups of coffee per week in a New York or London café (USD 12), you can put a child through high school with ASSETS. What’s better is that this includes not just the bursary but also all the associated conservation activities (tree planting, garbage cleanup, introducing energy-saving stoves and solar lamps, regenerative agriculture methods, bee-keeping etc)!

Please join us on this journey! Become a regular donor and create a butterfly effect that will positively impact families and forests for many years!