June 2026 – Ewaso Lions

Jamani: A Success Story

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It was still dark when eight-year-old Jamani Lororua slipped out of his home and started walking.

He had no escort, no map, and no phone. What he had was a memory: a single glimpse of our main Ewaso Lions Camp, pointed out to him from a bus window weeks earlier as we drove him home after five unforgettable days at Lion Kids Camp. That one glimpse was enough. By five o’clock that morning, Jamani had set off on foot, determined to find his way back.

A 33-Kilometre Walk Through Lion and Elephant Country

The journey was not a short or easy one. Jamani walked 33 kilometres (about 21 miles) through Westgate and Meibae Conservancies, a landscape shared by elephants, lions, and other wildlife, completely alone. For a grown adult, that walk would require preparation. For an eight-year-old boy, it was an extraordinary act of courage, determination, and trust in a place that had changed how he saw the world around him.

When Jamani finally arrived, dusty and tired, but with a big smile on his face, he told us simply that he was on his way back to Lion Kids Camp, the place he had spent five days falling in love with, learning, and imagining a different future for himself and the wildlife around him.

What Five Days at Camp Had Given Him

Left: Jamani with a smile during his first Lion Kids Camp playing the Ewaso Lion’s Conservation Game. Right: Jamani during his first wildlife safari.

Jamani had not forgotten a thing. He recounted wildlife tracking, the food chain, and the principles of coexistence with the kind of clarity that comes from genuine understanding, not memorisation. And then, unprompted, he told us exactly what he intended to do differently because of what he had learned:

“When I see lions, I will take our livestock away and give the lions space. And I will not kill dikdik again.”

It is hard to overstate what those two sentences represent. Jamani comes from a community where livestock and predators frequently come into conflict, and where hunting dikdik is common among children. That walk said everything. In finding his way back to Lion Kids Camp, he was already showing us a shift not just in knowledge, but in values and behaviour, the very outcome conservation education hopes for, achieved in real time, by a child.

A Story That Gives Us Hope

Jamani was safely reunited with his family. But in many ways, his journey is only just beginning. His walk is a vivid, almost unbelievable, illustration of what Lion Kids Camp can do: not simply teach children facts about wildlife, but instill in them a genuine sense of connection, responsibility, and love for the natural world around them, strong enough that an eight-year-old would set out alone, before sunrise, through wildlife country, just to return to it.

We made Jamani a promise that day: we will welcome him back to the next Lion Kids Camp.

His story reminds us why this work matters, and gives us real hope for what a new generation of conservationists, even the very youngest ones, can become.

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Mama Simba’s habitat recovery takes root

If you have been following the Mama Simba habitat recovery journey, you know this moment has been a long time coming.

What started as an initiative for the Mama Simba to recover the land that lions and local communities depend on is becoming real — rooted. A story of patience, learning, and building with your own hands. It is just the beginning.

Why habitat recovery

Lion conservation in the Ewaso Lions’ area of operation is inseparable from the health of the land itself. When habitat degrades, when invasive species crowd out native vegetation, when shade disappears and cover thins, lions and other wildlife lose more than comfort. They lose the dense bush that makes hunting possible. They lose the resting spots that allow them to move through a shared landscape with less friction. They lose the essential thick areas needed to hide their cubs. When wildlife, especially predators, struggle, the ripple effects reach the livestock and the livelihoods of the pastoral communities who live alongside them. Habitat recovery is thus central to the long-term future of lion conservation in this region.

It started with learning

In May 2025, Mama Simba travelled to the Centre for Ecosystem Restoration Kenya (CER-K) at Brackenhurst, Limuru, for an intensive five-day training. There, they learned two critical skills: how to identify and tackle Mathenge (Prosopis juliflora), the invasive species quietly choking out native vegetation across the landscape, and how to propagate Salvadora persica (toothbrush tree), an indigenous species that provides lions with dense cover for hunting, hiding cubs and shade for rest. The training was rigorous and practical. It was hands in soil, eyes on species, knowledge transferred directly between people who care deeply about this land.

Mama Simba during their training at CER-K

Building from scratch

By March 2026, that intention had taken physical form. With their own hands, the Mama Simba built a tree nursery, a dedicated, structured space to cultivate the seedlings that would eventually return to the land. They built it themselves, and in doing so, they built an initiative that belongs to them.

The nursery

In May, one year after their initial training and with additional hands-on training and support from the Centre for Ecosystem Restoration Kenya (CER-K), which came directly to the newly constructed nursery at the Lion Kids Camp, Mama Simba planted 2000 seedlings spanning 23 species of trees and shrubs. Every single one is indigenous. Every single one was carefully selected not just for lions, but for the full ecosystem: for wildlife, for livestock, and for the communities who share and steward this landscape.

Twenty-three indigenous species, each with a role to play. Some of the seedlings will be planted to fill in the gaps where the invasive Mathenge species has been removed. Others will be planted across the landscape where they will grow into the dense thickets that give lions the cover they need to hunt. Overall, many will provide shade, stabilise soils, support pollinators, or offer fodder for livestock. Healthy ecosystems are not built from a single species; they are interlaced with many, each supporting the others. That is exactly what Mama Simba is rebuilding here.

Growing Momentum

For Mama Simba, this is a historic milestone. It centres the knowledge, the labour, and the investment of the women who know this land best. Women who live alongside lions, who understand the rhythms of this ecosystem in ways no outside expert can fully replicate.

What makes this effort extraordinary is not just its ecological ambition. It is the model it represents: that conservation is most powerful when the communities at its heart are initiating the activities. Mama Simba did not wait for habitat recovery to happen to them. They made it happen themselves.

Next steps

Watching an initiative grow from the ground up, from a simple idea into a tangible, living, breathing reality, has been nothing short of inspiring. The nursery is a beginning, not an end. As the seedlings grow and are eventually transplanted into the wider landscape, the impact of this work will spread beyond the nursery walls, taking root in the soils of northern Kenya.

Images by Simatwa Ngachi & Ewaso Lions

Kura’s Pride Just Got a Powerful Boost

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]At Ewaso Lions, through community-led conservation, we have seen how strategic impact happens when people who know their neighbours, understand local concerns, and have earned their trust lead the conversation.

That is exactly what Kura’s Pride is building in Westgate Community Conservancy through the Kura’s Pride Ambassadors.

Meet the Kura’s Pride Ambassadors

Our Kura’s Pride programme has welcomed eight new Ambassadors: Nyati, Nakwatu, Sharon, Nosurai, Meeme, Njuana, Stellah, and Doris. Women drawn from all locations across Westgate Community Conservancy.

These are women engrained in the daily life of their communities. They understand how livestock is important to their communities. They know which families have dogs and cats. They know which households have questions or concerns about their animals. They know how to have the difficult conversations with patience, with trust, and with cultural fluency that no outside team can replicate.

As Kura’s Pride Ambassadors, they accompany our Domestic Animal Mobile Veterinary Unit (MVU) on field vaccination drives across Westgate Community Conservancy, speaking directly with community members about the importance of vaccinations and responsible animal care. Their presence transforms what might feel like a veterinary visit into a community-led conversation that is built on relationship and not instruction.

824 Vaccinations in 4 Days

The impact of this approach showed up clearly in the numbers from a mid-April vaccination drive organised this year across Westgate.

In just four days, the MVU vaccinated 824 dogs and cats against rabies and distemper, a result that reflects not just logistical efficiency but genuine community trust and participation.

Rabies remains one of the leading causes of human death in rural Kenya, and distemper poses serious risks to both domestic animals and wildlife. When animals in pastoral landscapes go unvaccinated, the consequences ripple outward: to livestock, to the predators that share those landscapes, and to the communities that depend on both.

Healthy animals mean healthier communities. Healthier communities mean a landscape where people, livestock, and predators, including lions, have a better chance of coexisting.

The MVU operates through a partnership between Ewaso Lions, the Samburu County Department of Veterinary Services, Animal Care Centre, VetinWild, and the Foundation for International Aid to Animals. This coalition brings together government, NGOs, and specialist veterinary expertise in the service of community-led conservation.

The addition of the Kura’s Pride Ambassadors strengthens that partnership from the ground up, ensuring that the communities being served are not just recipients of veterinary care but active participants in it.

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A Mega Launch, Two Reunion Camps, and Seven Lion Kids Camps

The Lion Kids Camp Is Officially Open

Nine hundred people showed up. Nine hundred people who believe that communities hold the future of conservation gathered to mark a historic moment for Ewaso Lions. The official opening of the newly upgraded Lion Kids Camp.

The ceremony was officiated by the Governor of Samburu County, H.E. Hon. Jonathan Lati Lelelit, EGH, and drew representatives from the Kenya Wildlife Service, Samburu County Government, conservation partners, 11 community conservancies, local schools, and a vibrant community audience; women’s groups, warriors, elders, youth, and young children.

The Governor’s words set the tone for everything that followed:

“Ewaso Lions has made a remarkable contribution to employment and conservation in Samburu County. They have employed more people than I ever imagined possible, reaching even those who have never had the opportunity to set foot in a classroom. This is the true power of community-driven conservation, transforming lives while protecting wildlife.”

Speeches from community elders, parents of children who have attended Camps, and the Ewaso Lions team reminded everyone why this programme exists and why it matters.

Two Reunion Camps

Ewaso Lions’ goal in 2026 is to reach 500 children through the Reunion Camps.

So far, we have held two Reunion Camps, bringing back a combined 97 alumni from Kalama and Westgate Community Conservancies, young people who first attended Lion Kids Camp between 2015 and 2021. Some were just children then.

For many, the biggest surprise on arrival was finding a completely upgraded Camp with brand-new facilities. The excitement was unforgettable. But these alumni were not returning for the memories alone. Even before coming back, they were already living what they had learned. Kids from Lerata in Kalama Community Conservancy had been alerting fellow herders to carnivore tracks, actively preventing livestock predation in their communities, proof that the Camp’s lessons had taken root and grown.

This cohort now includes young conservation leaders working at Sera and Kalama Community Conservancies, Sasaab Lodge, and Larsens Camp; interns with Save The Elephants; college students; and recent high school graduates.

The Reunion programme includes career guidance, impact measurement, wildlife safaris, the Conservation Game, and Conflict to Coexistence sessions. Community elders spoke to the alumni, and rangers deepened their understanding of conservation on the ground.

One alumnus put it simply:

“We are grateful for the chance to reconnect, reflect, and celebrate how far we have come, and how conservation has shaped our lives and careers.”

Coming back to Camp after years away was special in itself, a chance to reconnect with each other, with the landscape, and with the values that Lion Kids Camp had planted in them long ago. From children who once sat wide-eyed on their first wildlife safari to conservation professionals now shaping the future of conservation in northern Kenya, this is what long-term impact looks like.

Seven Camps, Hundreds of Lives Changed

Between February and June 2026, we have held seven Lion Kids Camps at our upgraded Camp, reaching livestock herding children and students across northern Kenyan conservancies. Every child who attends lives alongside wildlife, and the results speak for themselves.

From Blank Slates to Conservation Thinkers

It was clear from the start that for many of these children, the Camp would be their very first introduction to conservation education: 67% of Kiltamany (Kalama Community Conservancy) children, 83% of Nasuulu (Isiolo) children, and 100% of Ngare Mara (Isiolo) children had never received any formal teaching about wildlife or conservation before attending. The Camps changed that profoundly.

Children’s ability to identify resident mammal species improved significantly in every cohort; 75% to 86% of attendees scored higher post-Camp. Carnivore identification by tracks, signs, or sounds improved even more sharply, with 76% to 92% of children achieving higher scores, and average scores rising by as much as 68% from children in Westgate.

The most striking shifts came in threat awareness. Children who had barely considered threats facing wildlife left Camp able to name habitat loss, drought, poaching, encroachment, and pollution, and explain why and how they happened.

Turning Fear and Indifference into Appreciation

The Camps consistently shifted how children feel about wildlife and carnivores. At Kiltamany, the proportion who believed that living with wildlife brought more benefits than problems jumped from 30% to 100%. At Nasuulu, 92% agreed post-Camp, up from 80%. Across all Camps, 100% of children ended the week saying that killing wild animals was ‘very bad’.

Attitudes towards lions improved everywhere. Post-Camp, 96–100% of children across all sites said that when they think of a lion, it is something they ‘like’ or ‘strongly like’, including among herding children who had previously experienced lion attacks on their livestock.

Children Who See Themselves as Stewards

One of the most meaningful shifts was in how children understand their own role. At Ngare Mara, the proportion who considered themselves responsible for conserving carnivores rose from 4% to 36%. At Westgate, responsibility for protecting livestock from predation went from 0% to 100%. Across all Camps, more children left understanding that they could act on conservation today in their home areas.

Practical Tools for Coexistence

Every Camp dedicated significant time to practical coexistence skills. Children left knowing how to use scarecrows, guard dogs, fire and lights, bells on livestock, and strengthened bomas to protect their animals, directly reducing the retaliatory killings that threaten carnivore populations across the region.

What the Children Said

At Nasuulu, 100% of attendees said they enjoyed the Camp and would return if given the chance. At Westgate, 96% strongly agreed the Camp had improved their knowledge of local wildlife, and 88% strongly agreed their attitude towards wild animals had improved.

The data is compelling. But it is the stories that stay with you: the Kiltamany children who woke at 4 am, buzzing with excitement before their first-ever wildlife safari; the Ngare Mara group who spotted 8 lions sleeping in a thicket and could not stop talking about it; the Westgate students taught the names of individual lions by the Ewaso Lions field team, who left feeling like they personally knew the pride.

Next Steps

Ewaso Lions has now run over 53 Lion Kids Camps since launching the programme 13 years ago, in 2013, providing more than 1,560 children across four counties with a fully immersive wildlife experience. The Reunion Camps have shown that the impact does not stop when children go home; it compounds, year after year, as they grow into conservationists, researchers, guides, rangers, and community leaders.

This year’s mega launch showed that conservation is not the work of a few. It is the work of a community. And the community showed up, 900 strong, to prove it.

Thank You

None of this would be possible without the generosity of those who believe in this vision. Our deepest thanks to:

Conservation Partners: Samburu County Government, Kenya Wildlife Service, Westgate Community Conservancy, Kalama Community Conservancy, Nasuulu Community Conservancy, Nakuprat-Gotu Conservancy, Samburu National Reserve and Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

Financial Supporters this year: Zoo Atlanta, Auckland Zoo, Oakland Zoo, Capricorn Foundation, Safarilink Aviation, Diann and her friends, Norina Weiler, and individual donors who responded to the 2025 end-of-year appeal.

Your collective contributions have been instrumental in delivering conservation education across Northern Kenya, inspiring and nurturing young conservation leaders.

Images by Simatwa Ngachi & Ewaso Lions