SECRETARY

Collins Ochumbe

Describing a ‘typical’ day in Collins’s life is not easy. As Secretary for Chake he can be involved in everything from resolving issues with a farmer who has lost crops to elephants, to helping out on a conservancy patrol to rescuing a vehicle flattened by a falling acacia tree. When he is not doing that he serves as Secretary to the Maasai Mara Rotary Club, organizing events, charitable activities, meetings and keeping records and documents in order. Collins (37) who graduated with a Diploma in IT from the Kenya Polytechnic University also holds an Advance Diploma in Emergency Medical Techniques from the Kenya Council of Emergency Medical Technicians and is a trainer of First Aid to Trainers on occupational First Aid with the Kenyan Red Cross Society. Currently serving as a paramedic at Narok County Referral Hospital he is on call via his mobile phone day and night. Again ‘typical’ is not a word that applies to this job. On call Colins says “I assist members of the community whenever any emergency occurs including snake bites, emergency child births, animal attacks, wounds management, disease management... and nose bleeding.” Collins has always been passionate about wildlife as well as people. He is active with Stand Up And Shout‘s Youth Project of Environmental Changemakers in Kenya (see https://www.unenvironment.org/youngchampions/news/S tory/Stand%20up%20and%20shout), and delights in educating youngsters about their heritage and natural world. Collins in Chake’s gift shop When asked to name which animal would make the most appropriate Chake mascot, Collins, a self described “team player” answers without hesitation; The cheetah! We admire several virtues they posses like - speed, admirable team spirit while hunting, very intelligent animals!” Collins lives with his equally busy wife, Linet, and their two children, Calvince (10) and Shannel (4). Future ambitions? Collins wants to develop the tourism arm of the Chake Conservancy and prepare it for a post- Covid safari Renaissance. And as a keen Arsenal supporter there is always the dream of another FA cup (although, with a record-breaking 14, some Liverpool fans might think they already have enough).

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Charles Makori

Charles Makori, (39) born in the Rift Valley, graduated with a diploma in Agricultural Education and Extension and specialises in teaching the Chake farmers the best ways to grow crops naturally using local soil, irrigation and climate conditions. He particularly enjoys introducing new eco- technology and is always on the lookout for fresh ideas. While his goal is to make agriculture Nature friendly when Nature gets hungry it isn’t always as friendly as it might be and resolving, or better, avoiding human wildlife conflict is an ever constant challenge. Like everything he does, however, it is something he enjoys. “I execute my services happily and with lots of passion,” he says. “I love teaching the community on wildlife management and love the conflict solutions!” Like others on the Chake board he is also involved in rehabilitating prisoners and after receiving training on farming techniques and being provided with start up tools etc. helping them readjust to life in the Chake communal family. One former poacher, for example, is now helping him plant Conservancy tree seedlings. Others help out with his beehives (established to provide honey, pollinate crops and deter crop raiding elephants). Charles fills in when other Board members are away as Conservancy Manager to keep the wheels turning smoothly, relishes family life and has high hopes for his ten year old son who he sees living in the best wildlife environment in Kenya. His favourite animal? Giraffes. And that isn’t just because they leave his crops alone! Wish list. Bees, more bees, definitely an increase in tree cover in damaged forest land, so more trees, too! Also new practical ideas on nature friendly farming, particularly permaculture.

DIRECTOR and HONORARY WARDEN

Charles Kinara

Many people still call Charles Kinara ‘Doctor’ because of his medical background and the fact that he has helped maintain a small community clinic throughout the Covid pandemic calming fears, spreading awareness, issuing masks and hand sanitizers etc. as well as offering paramedic nursing services but his current focus is firmly on conservation. As a boy he says he loved watching wildlife in movies and in the National Park but as time passed he saw changes. Conflict between the Maasai, their cattle herding semi nomadic lifestyles and the wild creatures of the Kenyan plains was intensifying. While many Maasai areas began to establish conservancies to work with nature, the Chake lands still suffered from what he describes as ‘rampant poaching’, livestock predation and retaliatory killings. “I saw people killing wild animals for no reason,” he recalls. “There was overgrazing. The trees were cut wastefully. This was so wrong. We can find a better path.” And so he started the Chake Community Conservancy. Preserving wildlife means education and showing people tangible benefits. Many of his activities are directed at improving local facilities, health, agricultural and herding practices and generating employment. Seeking role models he visited community projects such as Seeds for Hope in neighbouring Uganda and land restoration work in Tanzania as well as in Kenya where we planted trees in parks, schools, police stations, and Kenya Wildlife Service properties. Among other Chake projects all this inspired, was his current move to restore the Nyakweri ancient forest and plant trees to protect the Kamaget traditional shrine. He shares the Kenyan government’s goal of restoring ten percent of forest cover nationwide. “It will be a good achievement,” he says, adding that while fruit and fuel yielding trees are important to communities, native species that provide food and homes to wildlife must also be planted in great numbers. Much of Chake’s anti-poaching work such as finding and destroying snares is hard slog hampered by inadequate equipment and actually catching poachers (some of whom are his neighbours) brings no joy. But Charles is unequivocal in his position. “The killing stops here!” Elephants, one of his favourite animals, and rhino are high profile victims for the illegal Asian trade but many species - buffalo, wildebeest, warthogs and antelope - are also killed for bushmeat. The Covid decline in tourism income (and enforcement presence) has sparked an unwelcome rise. Around 50 percent of prisoners in the local jail are there for wildlife offenses. “We go to them and teach them some technical courses like masonry, tailoring, carpentry, tree care and when they go out we give them some tools so they can start afresh.” Most, Charles says with pride, “never go back to kill animals.“ Some join Chake’s work. Charles has no illusions about the hard work ahead. “We are a young Conservancy, there is a long uphill road ahead and so much we must do. We will work hard!” Is he hopeful of success? “People here are showing they can change.”

CHAIR

Samson Ondimu

Samson Ondimu handles much of the Chake Conservancy admin and paperwork, sometimes with the help of his wife, Linet, and often with the distraction of his two daughters Precious (13), Deborah (6) and son, Cayvan (4). Samson has a diploma in education and is involved in teaching and administration at the Conservancy schools as well as in outreach projects to adults as part of the Chake Community Development Programme. He especially enjoys teaching farming techniques and loves sharing the pleasures of books. Running a school or getting your kids through (or even to!) school can be a headache anywhere in the world as Samson readily acknowledges. “Every place of learning has its challenges and satisfactions!” he says. “In some countries it may be a traffic jam not an elephant or a flash flood blocking the road but we all manage in our way!” Improving school facilities and especially improving computer literacy are a Samson priority but his dream of building a library and IT centre, for example, is currently financially out of reach. This is why he is especially excited by the CkakEducation initiative. “We will have thousands of books and films and magazines without worrying about termites or rain damage or maintenance,” he says. “It can also help everybody in joining distance learning courses in Kenya, UK. USA. Anywhere. They can even visit museums and other libraries.” “I will always love books, of course, but the world is changing.” Helping students gain access to, and feel comfortable with, virtual education will of course be another challenge for Samson. And hopefully another satisfaction!

CORPORATE FUNDING

Julie Rack

Julie Rack (Jules) began a life long involvement with conservation and wildlife early; as a little girl she nurtured orphaned and injured lion and cheetah cubs on a friend’s farm in South Africa’s Karoo, as well as caring for a varied menagerie including baboons, vervet monkeys, rooikats (caracals). “In In those days there were no rescue centres or anything and they simply left them to die,” Jules remembers. “But my Dad’s friends built some enclosures and I went for my holidays to take care of them.” There were no guide manuals; kraal construction, vet and diet provision etc. - had to be learned through local knowledge, common sense, trial, innovation and self reliance. Thinking independently and out of the box. Jules has never forgotten those lessons learned. After leaving College in KwaZulu Natal where she studied Textile Science Jules threw herself into a career that involved 15 years providing design ideas and promotional materials for African retailing giants Checkers and Shoprite and working with an extraordinary array of partners ranging from Kruger National Park (Africa’s oldest National Park, almost the size of Belgium) and Robben Island (one of South Africa’s 43 Marine Protected Areas, more famous for its political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, than its African penguins), to the famous Table Mountain Cableway, game reserves and many other independent customers. At the same time she pursued her animal welfare passion, working in the notorious Cape Flats Area (home to around 100,000 Gang members) where she spent years rescuing stolen dogs used for fighting. Based in the vibrant and artistic district of Woodstock which helped make Cape Town Africa’s first “World Design Capital” city (2014)she continued her design work ( fashion and rangers uniforms) and developed a network of like minded people that expanded her canine rescue work to include offering sanctuary to wolves or wolf hybrids from a research facility that had been cross breeding them to create guard dogs. From there she established a farm that produced wool, vegetables, products derived from indigenous buchu (a medicinal plant favoured by Khoi Bushmen) and offered a sanctuary for animals, mainly horses which she has loved ever since childhood. Like many of the animals she works with, they understand her. And she understands them. It is her “animal sixth sense”. And matches what her friends call her “Bush eyes” - an uncanny knack of spotting a hidden rhino. Or lion. Or Bush baby. All her life she has loved Africa’s wildlife and has spent all her ‘free’ time either on animal welfare (she is a powerful advocate against “canned lion hunting” where lions in South Africa are bred to be shot by trophy hunters and their bones often exported to China as fake ‘tiger’) or in the Bush or with conservation projects. ““I work (normal jobs) to be able to devote my free time to these projects”. Julie currently serves as a Chef for some very high net worth individuals, Julie is involved with Chake for many reasons. A deep love of Kenya is one. She is also very excited by the chance to help in the birth of a new Conservancy on this scale and in an area that is of such global significance in terms of wildlife, biodiversity and conservation importance. She is impressed by the success of other Conservancies in the Masai Mara region and is a firm believer in the Conservancy model as the future for wildlife and sustainable human prosperity throughout Africa. “What we can achieve in Chake can be achieved elsewhere,” she says. “I want to bring this back to my home country.” Her wish list is simple. “Success!”

TREASURER Gladys Orwochi Gladys is our new treasurer. When not in the ofice she work in an Agrovet selling farm inputs and equipment. She loves wildlife and loves cheetahs. She is married and has two children. See why she loves Chake Community Conservancy!