Second week: Building of an indigenous tree nursery plantation: volunteers will dig holes for trees, mixing manure and sand for planting new tree and taking care of the nursery tree seedlings plus identifying the endangered trees. Going to different schools to create indigenous tree nursery plantation clubs, this will involve working with Shifoga youth groups members plus primary school kids. Objectives & impacts: Co² consumption & Environmental understanding

Third Week: Construction of a relaxing park: this consists of building a park where people can relax by flowering, making garden, building benches. These activities will bring people together from 3 different communities to work with volunteers.
Objectives & impacts: community to be economically empowered, Tourists to benefit from beautiful nature

Other Activities: Environmental Educational awareness campaign through dancing, drama, games to be organized by the volunteers, Sport & team building games, Community Visit & cultural exchange, Environmental research (questionnaires for community to know how many people understand today's environmental challenges)

Open things to do:
Going to the beach, Visiting Shimba Hills National Reserve

Current status in the project and in the area:

In 2009, the project hosted 2 volunteers from UK for a duration of 3 months who brought up the suggestion to set up a group workcamp in this project. They are also mobilizing volunteers to participate in this workcamp. The below activities were initiated by these volunteers and are currently going on:

1. Identifying the endangered trees
2. Tag naming of the trees in the forest
3. Documenting the forest resources
4. Looking for ecological development sponsorships
5. Eco-agricultural empowerment (e.g.: natural fertilizer…)

Objectives of the project:
To make the community aware that its people are responsible of their own nature, that they should use it wisely & also protect it. Shifoga mission is to improve ecological development

Brief background SHIFOGA youth group Camp host:
SHIFOGA is a community group composed of 16 members, both men & women, working in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Kenya Forest Department in Kwale. This group has a great vision of bringing back indigenous trees to the area, with a great mission of protecting the national park’s forest.
The group’s main sources of income are ecotourism activities, such as game walks, coastal cultural activities. They also have bee-keeping, butterfly rearing & camping accommodation.
They have collaborated with Kenyan Forest Department to set up indigenous tree nursery plantation that will provide the community with cheap sources of trees. They have been sponsored in the past by WWF to create wildlife protection activities.
Experience with Volunteers: the community has a great experience of having hosted more then 30 volunteers before

Impact & sustainability of the project:

1. importance of Ecological understanding,
2. About 6,000people will benefit
3. poverty reduction  
4. the importance of the nature will be felt within the neighbourhing community
5. easy access to indigenous trees
6. eco-income generative activities

Accommodation and Food:
Volunteers will be accommodated in one of the school compounds within Kwale community. Volunteers will organized themselves by doing their own cooking and preparing their own activities.

Role of Malaika Ecotourism
Malaika Ecotourism coordinates the project by reaching out the volunteers, facilitating orientations, organizing transportations, funding the projects, organizing accommodations, food and other excursions. These are all aimed at easing and improving environmental conservation through local initiatives, as one of our aims is the fulfilment of our responsible travel.

Role of volunteers:
The major role of volunteers is to venture and contribute to the local efforts in solidarity with the local people and institution in order to benefit the ecosystem and enrich themselves with new experiences.

More Volunteer Information:
Programme fee for 3 weeks: Euro € 300 (Administration and work Camp)

Optional Eco Safari
3 days Maasai Mara Eco Safari @ US$ 320

Download: Volunteer Application form