The Milgis Trust

Category: Conservation Awareness | Date: May 07 2009 | By: milgistrust

After the week of fires, around the 25th March, The Milgis Trust, some of the chiefs and the councillor from Latakwen called a meeting of elders to try to understand what was in the mind of these burners and why… One month later, and BY THE WAY NOT A SINGLE FIRE SINCE!… we called the same elders to the scouts meeting to discuss further what can be done to prevent destruction, and understand what is going on… Every one understood the way forward is to work together to conserve the land…… Below is a report from Moses Lesoloyia… The manager

Conservation committee… On the 30^th April 09 we held a meeting with the committee mainly to discuss their role and the importance of conserving the environment. We had 5 men from different parts of Nkare Narok location, 4 from Nairimirimo and 5 from Latakweny location. Each of the men was asked to say how his area was when he was a child and now and give what he thinks has brought about changes. The following are the responses;

When I was a child there was;

· Plenty of rain

· plenty of water

· plenty of pasture

· Plenty of milk

· Plenty of wild animals

· Plenty of wild fruits and food

· Not many diseases

Nowadays;

• Rain does not come the right time
• All the rivers have dried and dams died
• Pasture does not stay for long
• No more milk
• Wild animals have reduced and finished in some areas
• Very many diseases
• Wild fruits and food very scarce

This change is because of;

• Too many people and livestock
• Burning of forests
• Change of leadership structure from traditional system to government system
• Introduction of guns to the Samburu
• Deterioration of culture due to influence from Christianity and formal education
• Too much use of chemicals, almost in everything there are chemicals including food,(one elder felt chemicals are contributing to this change, he called them Ldewai).

They all agreed that the only way out was to support conservation efforts and try and rejuvenate the traditional systems which were holistic, took care of everything. They expressed their willingness to join hands with us and the community and stop the habitat destruction.