Lion Kids Camp – Ewaso Lions

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Lion Kids Camp Alumni Come Home

They came as children. They are returning as conservation leaders.

In 2025, we set an ambitious goal: to bring 500 Lion Kids Camp (LKC) alumni back to Samburu in 2026 for a series of Reunion Camps. Young people who first attended when they were eight, ten, or twelve years old, and who are now teenagers, young adults, and, in many cases, working conservation professionals. People who grew up alongside lions and other wildlife.

By August 2026, we have run four Reunion Camps, welcoming back 155 alumni. This is their story.

Coming back

Our alumni came from Samburu, Isiolo and Nyeri counties of Kenya. Some had not been back since 2014. Over a decade away from a place that shaped them. Others attended more recently and are still finishing secondary school. However, across all of them, one thing held true the moment they arrived: familiarity clicked back into place.

They got involved in wildlife safaris, lion sightings, and the Conservation Game, ending the day with fireside conversations under the stars. Through all of it, the unmistakable energy of people reconnecting with each other, with the landscape, and with the values that Lion Kids Camp instilled in them years ago.

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.”

From Young Curious Kids to Leaders

The numbers tell an impressive story. Across all alumni who attended this year’s Reunion Camps so far:

97% say Lion Kids Camp changed how they feel about lions
88% are working in, or actively planning, a conservation career
46% have already taken on a conservation leadership role

When we compared alumni from our very first cohort in 2014 – now adults – with those who attended more recently in 2021, impact scores were nearly identical. A decade later, Lion Kids Camp alumni are still carrying the lessons of the camp with them.

The impact does not fade. If anything, it compounds.

“LKC taught me the strength of teamwork and courage to lead with compassion and the importance of lions in our community.” – Margaret Nyakabi, Solio

“LKC inspired me to join the wildlife club, and now I am a secretary.” – Lucy Korosian, Leparua

“It has helped me to step out of my comfort zone and believe in myself.” – Linet Wangechi, Solio

155 Alumni. Four Camps. One Movement.

Across four Reunion Camps in 2026, 155 young adults have come home to Lion Kids Camp. They have sat around the fire again. Gone back into the bush. Looked at a landscape they knew as children and understood it differently as adults.

We set out to bring 500 alumni back this year. We are not done yet.

None of this would be possible without the donors and partners who believed that investing in young people from pastoral communities is one of the most powerful things you can do for wildlife conservation. These are not future conservation leaders. They are the conservation leaders of right now, and they are only getting started.

To everyone who has supported Lion Kids Camp and its Reunion Camps this year, thank you.

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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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

A New Home for a New Generation of Conservation Leaders

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]Lion Kids Camp has been transformed. When we launched in 2013, we squeezed 15 eager children into basic shelters, taught under the shade of Acacia trees, hired vehicles, and dreamed of the day we could reach more young people across northern Kenya. The energy was always there. The space to grow, not quite yet. Today, that fully upgraded Camp can reach more than 375 young people every year. And that is just the beginning.

That day is here…

After more than 200 days of construction, our revamped Lion Kids Camp is now open and everything we hoped it would be. The upgrade was not just about building new structures. It was about building capacity: the physical space, the infrastructure, and the foundation to grow a new generation of conservation leaders from the communities that live alongside lions every day.

Before and After

The scale of the upgrade speaks for itself. Where we once hosted 175 children annually, we can now welcome 375. Where we ran 7 Camps a year, we can now deliver 15 Lion Kids Camps annually. It is more than double the reach and more than double the impact. This year alone, we are hosting 15 Lion Kids Camps, 3 Warrior Camps and 10 Reunion Camps, bringing back 500 alumni.

Before the upgrade:

Basic shelters, limited facilities
7 Camps per year
175 children annually

After the upgrade:

15 Lion Kids Camps + 3 Warrior Camps + 10 Reunion Camps planned this year
375 children annually
New mess hall and learning area, a fully equipped kitchen, tents with shading and proper bunk beds, a solar-powered system, and water storage through 12 tanks

Built to Last, Built to Learn

Every element of the new Camp has been designed with the children in mind. The new mess hall and learning area give young people a proper space to gather, eat, and engage with conservation concepts no longer under the shade of a tree, though we will always love those Acacia trees. The kitchen means meals can be prepared safely and at scale. The tents with shading, bunk beds, and solar power mean children can sleep comfortably and stay connected to learning even after dark. And 12 water storage tanks mean the Camp can operate consistently through the dry season.

More Than a Camp

Lion Kids Camp has always been about more than a week in the bush. It is about planting seeds in curious young minds from communities that share land with lions, elephants, and wild dogs. Children who attend Lion Kids Camp go home with something different: a deeper connection to wildlife, a sense of responsibility, and the beginning of a conservation identity that can carry through into adulthood.

With the upgraded Camp now able to host more than one Lion Kids Camp a month, that pipeline has been widened. More children. More communities. More new conservationists.

Since the new Camp opened, we have already welcomed children for three Lion Kids Camps and one Reunion Camp, and the energy has been extraordinary. The Camps are fuller, the learning spaces are better, and the young people of northern Kenya are arriving ready to engage.

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A Game of Coexistence

Across Africa, the roar of the lion is growing fainter. Once spread across vast landscapes, the African lion has disappeared from 92% of its historical range. A century ago, an estimated 200,000 lions roamed the continent; today, that number has dropped to just 20,000–30,000.

In Kenya, fewer than 2,500 lions remain. The reasons are complex: shrinking habitats, conflicts with people when livestock is lost, climate change, disease, and the expansion of infrastructure all play a part. For a species that needs vast territories and abundant prey, survival outside protected parks and reserves is becoming difficult.

Yet, the future of lions lies largely in the hands of the people who share the land with them.

Changing Perceptions, One Child at a Time

In Samburu, where Ewaso Lions works, many children grow up within sight of wildlife reserves but have rarely experienced wildlife in a safe, positive way.

For some, lions are not majestic animals from storybooks, but threats: the predators that killed a family’s livestock, or the reason they run in fear when herding goats.

Recognising that children are new stewards of Kenya’s wildlife, Ewaso Lions launched the Lion Kids Camp (LKC) in 2013. The programme blends wildlife education, guided safaris, and conservation-themed activities to enhance knowledge of nature.

While the camp initially targeted school-going children, the team quickly identified a gap: pastoralist children who herd livestock from an early age. These young herders often have the greatest day-to-day impact on wildlife, yet have the least access to conservation education.

To reach them, Ewaso Lions developed a five-day, hands-on curriculum that relies on tactile and visual experiences, ensuring it works for both literate and non-literate children. One of its most successful activities is an innovative, laughter-filled obstacle course with a serious purpose: the Ewaso Lions Conservation Game.

Ewaso Lions Conservation Game

First introduced in April 2015, the Ewaso Lions Conservation Game transforms complex conservation challenges into an energetic and interactive experience.

Children are divided into teams, each representing a pride of lions. One member, acting as the pride leader, must guide their “lions” (team members) safely through a “community area” (the obstacle course), collecting key resources like water, prey, safe refuges, and protection while avoiding dangers like settlements, livestock, poachers, rabid dogs, bushfires, and highways.

There’s a twist: all “lions” except the leader are blindfolded, meaning teamwork, trust, and clear communication are essential.

Each obstacle and checkpoint represents a real-world survival factor for lions living alongside people. The game ends with a group discussion that connects each part of the course to actual conservation issues and solutions.

: © Lucy Maina

: © Lucy Maina

What the Game Teaches

Through play, participants learn:

The needs of lions living in community lands
The threats lions face, from habitat loss to disease
How human activities can help or harm lion survival
Practical ways people can coexist with large carnivores

And beyond the knowledge, the game builds knowledge and empathy. Children begin to see lions not just as predators, but as fellow creatures navigating a dangerous world.

Ripple Effects in the Community

Although designed for children, the game’s appeal has reached herders, warriors, women, and elders, literate or not. In every group, it ignites conversations about coexistence and inspires positive attitudes toward wildlife.

From Kenya to the World

What began as a local initiative has proven adaptable across countries and species. The Conservation Game has been tailored and played in Mozambique, Ethiopia, Peru, and Botswana, each time contextualised to the local wildlife and challenges.

Why It Matters

Lions are not just icons of Africa; they are vital to healthy ecosystems. Protecting them requires more than safeguarding parks and reserves. It means working with the people who share their landscapes, building understanding, and turning fear into respect.

In Samburu, this work starts with a simple truth: if you want to change the future, start with the children. Sometimes, that change begins with a blindfold, an obstacle course, and the laughter of a “pride” learning to survive together.

Read the full game concept: Download the Conservation Game Guide (PDF)
Share your feedback: If you adapt the game in different contexts, please fill out our short survey. Your input will help us improve and inspire more communities to use the game as a tool for conservation and coexistence.

Watch The Step-by-Step Guide

Written by Victoria Wanjohi

Lion Kids Camp Teaches Kenyan Children About Conservation in New Area

This month, we held a Lion Kids Camp for 24 Kenyan children to learn about conservation and be inspired by experiencing wildlife from a new perspective. This Camp marked only the second time an LKC has been held outside Samburu. We teamed up with Loisaba Conservancy to hold the five-day camp in the beautiful landscape of Loisaba, located 200km away in Laikipia county.

Similar to the two Lion Kids Camps we have held so far this year, this camp focused on young livestock herders from local communities, rather than school children. The 24 kids, ranging in age from 4 to 16, spent five days with our team learning all about wildlife, conservation and ways to coexist with lions and other large carnivores – and, of course, to have lots of fun in the process!

This was our 8th camp held to date, bringing the total number of Kenyan children participating in a Lion Kids Camp to 214.

Excitingly, this Camp coincided with World Lion Day on the 10th of August. In the hope of showing the children lions on this special day, we set off early for a game drive on Loisaba. It wasn’t long before we received a call from Thomas, who works for our research partner Lion Landscapes, to say he had located a collared female, Victoria, and her pride. Despite the pride having – somewhat unhelpfully – chosen to rest at the top of a rocky hill, the kids were all super excited to watch the lions through their binoculars and asked lots of questions. They spent the rest of the drive excitedly ticking off other species on their checklists and one car was even lucky even to spot a cheetah.

With the Camp taking place on Loisaba Conservancy, there were also some special additions to our regular programme in Samburu. Firstly, the children visited Loisaba’s livestock bomas, where they met the Conservancy’s huge herd of camels and sampled some fresh camel milk, before watching the frenzy as hundreds of cattle were ‘dipped’ to prevent disease.

Loisaba staff then talked to the children about livestock and grazing management. The children also met Loisaba’s bloodhounds, Warrior and Machine, and learnt how these incredible sniffer dogs help local communities and wildlife. The kids even joined in a training exercise that took the form of sniffer dog style hide-and-seek.

In typical LKC fashion, the week closed with the wildlife drama competition, which was performed in front of the children’s parents and Loisaba staff. It was great to see the community support for this initiative – the first time Loisaba has run a kids programme. We were delighted that in recognition of their support, the community even donated a goat for the children.

It was a brilliant week and we hope to work with Loisaba Conservancy again in the near future!

> Read about other Lion Kids Camps

With special thanks to:

• Loisaba Conservancy – for sponsoring and hosting this camp. In particular to Tom, Fiona and Mingistu for their support
• Guides – Sam, Bonnie and Robin, for their support and enthusiasm as team leaders
• Matron – Mama Kelly, for taking good care of the children
• Cooks – Joseph and his team, for ensuring we were all well fed
• Lion Landscapes – our partner in Laikipia for their assistance
• The kids and their families – for embracing the experience and making it such a great week
• Ewaso Lions staff – Letupukwa, Thomas and Jeneria for all their hard work to ensure the camp was a great success
• Tom Cromwell and the Kenyan Kids on Safari programme – for supporting the Camp

Samburu and Turkana livestock herders inspired by 7th Lion Kids Camp

This year, we wanted our Lion Kids Camps to focus on a new demographic of young Kenyans: livestock herders, or “lchokutis” in the local Samburu language. This group spend most of their time in wildlife areas looking after their family’s livestock, yet have limited, if any, exposure to conservation education and training. By engaging herders through our Lion Kids Camp programme we hope to have an immediate positive impact on wildlife. >Read about the importance of engaging herders in conservation

Following the success of our first herders camp in February, we were very excited to host a second camp in April that brought together 26 young herders from across four community conservancies in northern Kenya.

As with previous camps, the children relished the opportunity to learn about their local wildlife and participate in a range of conservation-themed activities including wildlife safaris, theatre dramas, creative arts sessions, and our special conservation game.

Watch this short clip for some of the highlights of our 7th Lion Kids Camp:

For this Camp, we were particularly apprehensive about being able to show the children their first lions; the resident pride had not been sighted in the Reserve for a couple of weeks, instead spending time in the surrounding community areas. Whilst it is great that the lions feel safe living alongside the community, we didn’t want this to be our first Lion Kids Camp without lions!

Fortunately, they made a timely reappearance and provided the herders with an incredible first sighting. Naisherua, one of the sub-adults from the Koitogor Pride, was feeding on a giraffe carcass and fiercely guarding it from circling vultures and Marabou storks, whilst her siblings and father, Lguret, rested in the shade nearby.

Crocodiles had killed the giraffe the night before but the lions had managed to fight them off and claim the carcass for themselves.

During the Lion Kids Camp, we take the children on a wildlife safari. They were lucky to witness Naisherua on a giraffe kill! Photo by Ewaso Lions.

Conservation education is a key part of all our Lion Kids Camps, with the curriculum adapted to fit the target audience. During our herder’s camps, we discuss issues like livestock husbandry and ways to coexist with wildlife. Over recent months, we have seen an increase in the number of times livestock are getting lost whilst out grazing. Our camps are an ideal opportunity to tackle the root cause of these problems and encourage the herders to adopt practices that help mitigate conflict with carnivores.

Kalastar teaches the children about safe herding practices using a model of a boma. Photo by Tony Allport.

As always, one of the highlights of the camp was the closing ceremony in which the children performed their wildlife dramas. The theme for this camp centered around the importance of wildlife to herders and how they can help conserve their natural heritage. With the four teams comprising young herders from both Samburu and Turkana communities, there was an added challenge of overcoming language barriers and making the dramas relevant to both cultures.

All the teams did a brilliant job, but the most exciting thing for us was to see the children from the two tribes, between whom there is often conflict, enjoying playing and performing together; Team Lion even had the Samburus learning a traditional Turkana song and dance!

An ostrich puppet brings a huge smile to Nkiyok’s face.

Upon returning to home, Nagumo, a young Turkana herder, described how he was now acting like a Conservancy Ranger; reporting any information about lions and elephants and telling his community to improve their bomas [livestock enclosure] to reduce conflict. This is exactly why it is important to engage herders – they make great ambassadors for wildlife!

Children participating in this Lion Kids Camp included Samburu and Turkana tribes. It was a great opportunity to have a positive cross cultural exchange. Photo by Tony Allport.

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Ewaso Lions would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for supporting this Camp:
• Safarilink Aviation for sponsoring this Camp, in particular Anu and Carol for their continued support.
• Westgate Community Conservancy staff and management for hosting the Camp.
• Samburu National Reserve for hosting our kids in the park.
• African Wildlife Foundation for allowing us to hire their bus for to transport the children during game drives and activities. In particular, AWF driver Anwar Maulidi.
• Ali and Tony Allport for all their support and great photos.
• Carter Safaris for donating water bottles

Junior the Lion Kid

This is the story of Junior, the 13-year-old “Lion Kid”. This boy’s story is worth sharing because Junior represents the bright outcome of conservation education. Junior hails from Westgate Conservancy in Samburu, northern Kenya.

Junior attended our Lion Kids Camp in 2014, which sparked Junior’s interest in conservation. By the end of the Camp, he was telling anyone who would listen that he wanted to be just like the warriors from Ewaso Lions.

Now, every time Jeneria and the field team head into Samburu National Reserve, Junior – who lives in a village bordering the Reserve – is watching, waiting for any chance to jump in their vehicle to go see lions or head back to camp with his new heroes.

He is quite a character and will stand in the middle of the road with his arms stretched out and school bag ready until Jeneria stops to let him jump in the car. He hates to miss a chance to spend time with the field team and has even been known to hop in barefoot – no time for shoes!

Whilst some like to call him “Jeneria’s shadow,” Jeneria’s own nickname for Junior is “Traffic” because he won’t let Jeneria pass without stopping.

Junior spends his weekends and school holidays at the Ewaso Lions Camp. He stands out from his classmates in their blue and red school uniforms; his red Lion Kids Camp t-shirt being his own uniform of choice and one he is rarely seen without.

Last August, he even participated in our World Lion Day celebrations when our team held a Running for Lions event around the Camp. Junior ran for his favorite lion, Loiwotwa.

When he is not out in the field with the warriors, he spends time in Camp working on his school lessons, drawing, playing with Kura, or scanning for wildlife from our deck. He is a fantastic artist and is being mentored by Samson, our Resident Artist.

We love having Junior in Camp, and when he’s not here we all miss him. He is definitely a treasured Lion Kid.

A Special Lion Kids Camp for Herding Children Who Have Never Gone to School

We have just concluded our first ever Lion Kids Camp for livestock herding children. Our previous five Lion Kids Camps were all with local primary school students. For this Camp, we wanted to focus on a new demographic of young Kenyans who play an important role for wildlife: young livestock herders, or “lchokutis” in the local Samburu language. Last week, we brought together 28 Kenyan children from villages across Westgate Conservancy for a week of conservation education, activities, and games.

For the Samburu people in northern Kenya, livestock represents wealth and status. Often, young children are charged with tending livestock whilst out grazing, so these young herders play a vital role in protecting their families’ livelihoods and maintaining cultural traditions. They spend a significant amount of time in wildlife areas, yet they have limited, if any, exposure to conservation education and training.

Because of their herding responsibilities, most have never even stepped foot in a classroom before!

Above: video highlights from the Lion Kids Camp.

It may not seem like it, but these young herders can have an immediate impact on wildlife – from where they take their goats to graze to their tolerance and interaction with wild animals. In addition, the young male herders will grow up to become warriors, so it is key to foster a positive conservation ethic at an early age. For these reasons, we felt it was time they too were engaged in conservation through our Lion Kids Camps.

We took the herders on their first-ever game drive where they were lucky enough to see three of Samburu’s famous lionesses hunting warthog. For 22 of the 28 herders this was the first time in their lives they had seen lions!

Despite living adjacent to world famous reserves and spending each day in the bush herding livestock, it is rare for young herders to see wildlife close up, especially carnivores. Instead, they might see the tracks of a hyaena outside their home or the remains of a goat killed by a leopard. Perhaps even more exciting, the herders saw Naramat and her three cubs in Westgate’s own Conservation Area. At the end of the camp, it was great to hear them still reciting the names of their community lions!

The lchokutis really soaked in everything they learned: local conservation issues, ways to coexist with wildlife, and more. They were so honest about everything – admitting to having encroached into protected areas, killing dikdiks in the past, and more. But after the Kids Camp, we could see a change. On the way home, a black-bellied bustard crossed the road in the distance and Fredi, one of the boys yelled out, “Don’t hit him!”

The camp concluded with a special closing ceremony in which the herders created and performed their first wildlife dramas. With the help of their team leaders, they also made some great wildlife costumes out of old food sacks, ash and scraps of material!

On Friday, after some impromptu Samburu dancing, the children returned to their villages singing songs about wild dogs and lions. Incredibly, the shy and nervous children who had arrived barely five days earlier had transformed into confident children eager to share their experiences with family and friends. They were even demanding to be dropped right outside each village so that everyone could hear them singing!

We are thankful to the children for opening their minds and hearts to learn about conservation and are already excited by plans to host another Lion Kids Camp with herders very soon.

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Ewaso Lions would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for supporting this camp:
• Westgate Community Conservancy staff and management for hosting the camp.
• Samburu National Reserve for hosting our kids in the park.
• Micato Safaris for providing us with two of their vehicles for the duration of the camp. Our thanks, in particular, are extended to Micato drivers Wesley Korir and Peter Wambugu.
• Grevy’s Zebra Trust for teaching the kids about Grevy’s zebra conservation.
• Daniel Letoiye for hosting a special session with the children on holistic management.

Special Lion Kids Camp Reunion

This month we held a very special edition of our Lion Kids Camp – a Reunion Camp. We brought together 122 Kenyan children who had all previously participated in a Lion Kids Camp since our first one in 2013. The children joined us from 11 schools, spread across three counties (Samburu, Isiolo and Nyeri).

Everyone was so excited to see each other and reunite for four days of conservation education, games, career advice, and much more. The camp not only served to reinforce important conservation messages but also allowed the kids, who come from diverse cultural backgrounds and a wide range of ages, to interact and share their stories. For the children from Honi and Laburra Primary Schools, located in Nyeri County close to Mt Kenya, this was their first time to Samburu – many didn’t even know where Samburu was before the camp!

Three of our sponsored students – Painoti, Saniki and Joy – were in attendance. The girls were a fantastic help with the younger children and are proving to be great role models. As Painoti approaches the end of her secondary school education, and Saniki and Joy midway through theirs, we spent some time with the girls discussing their futures and careers.

We believe that the future of Kenya’s wildlife is in the hands of children like these and hope that, through our Camps, we will continue to inspire the next generation of wildlife ambassadors.

Watch this video to see some of the highlights of the camp:

We wish to thank the following, who helped make this Lion Kids Camp possible:
This Lion Kids Camp Reunion would not have been possible without support from Disney Conservation Fund, our Camp’s main donor.
• Disney Conservation Fund – the Camp’s main sponsor
• Westgate Community Conservancy staff and management for hosting the camp at their Headquarters.
• African Wildlife Foundation for loaning us their education bus to transport the children and, in particular, to Isaac for ensuring everyone made it to camp safely despite the rough terrain.
• Ali & Tony Allport for all their support and amazing photographs.
• Kelvin Lemantaan for all his support and for providing additional transport and to his drivers David and Mr Kenyatta.
• Maingi for all his invaluable logistical support.
• All eleven schools and, in particular, the teachers who accompanied their children to the camp and were involved in all the activities.

> Learn more about our Lion Kids Camp model

Kids were so excited to see each other again that there was loads of laughter, singing and dancing.

After a morning of presentations, everyone participated in a creative art workshop with Samson our art genius, followed by conservation games in the afternoon. Photo by Tony Allport.

Three of our sponsored students – Painoti (left), Saniki (middle) and Joy – attended our Lion Kids Camp Reunion this week.

Tom from Lorubae Primary School was so happy to be back for another Lion Kids Camp. Photo by Tony Allport.

Here are ALL 122 kids from the past 3 years who have attended our Lion Kids Camps. Photo by Tony Allport.

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