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The Sarara Foundation
Led by the Indigenous Samburu people, we are protecting the 850,000-acre Namunyak Community Conservancy – the land, its wildlife, and the people who call it home.
Our Key Conservation Initiatives
Pioneering mobile health clinic specialising in Paediatric and Maternal care for the Samburu community in Namunyak Conservancy.
The Sarara Foundation developed a first of its kind Nomadic Montessori Education system to access hard to reach communities and provide community-led education.
W develop enterprise models that empower individuals, primarily women, to generate their own income to support their families and safeguard their land.
The Sarara Foundation actively supports Reteti in the management and rehabilitation of 30+ orphan elephants to ultimately release them back into the wild.
“The Samburu tribe has lived side-by-side with a healthy, robust environment for many generations; our core role is to offer support in navigating a rapidly modernising and fast-paced world where traditional wisdom is often forgotten.”
JEREMY BASTARD, CEO OF THE SARARA FOUNDATION
The Impact of Community-led Conservation
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Education close to home
Since 2019, more than 1,000 students have received best-in-class education at our community-led Nomadic Montessori schools close to their manyattas.
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Returning Wildlife
To date, we’ve overseen the return of a free-ranging population of almost 6,000 elephants in the Mathews Range.
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Access to Healthcare
Before our Mobile Healthcare Clinic was established, women and children had to walk 30km over a rocky, steep mountain pass to the nearest clinic. They now receive treatment at their manyattas.
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Rewilding rescued elephants
To date, we've overseen the rehabilitation and release of 23 orphaned elephants in Namunyak Community Conservancy.
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Empowering Women
1280+ women generated their own income through the sale of their goat milk to Reteti. The income has a profound ripple effect.
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Endangered Species
We protect of one of the largest herds of reticulated giraffes (+-600), and thriving populations of other endangered species. It’s also been involved in a huge increase in lions in the conservancy in recent years.
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Community Leadership
In partnership with the community-led Namunyak Conservancy, we’ve promoted self governance, capacity building, and leadership training within the Samburu community.
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Supported Mothers
Malnutrition has drastically been reduced through our Mobile Healthcare Program and the guidance Nurse Dorcas provides mothers.
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Employment
Sarara supports the employment of 200+ Indigenous Samburu women forming the hands and hearts behind our various programs.
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Fighting Climate Change
8,265 bunds dug and 79 acres of land reseeded in 2024 with indigenous grass seeds by our Eco Rangers and the Samburu community.
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Grazing Management
A dedicated grazing team – which consists of 24 elders and morans (warriors), help to balance livestock distribution across Namunyak.
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Protected Land
Our Mobile Rangers is actively alleviating conflict between predators and livestock, conducting extensive night patrols, and raising awareness of the importance of wildlife in the community.
Your support will echo through generations
Help provide community-led education, healthcare, and sustainable livelihoods to the Indigenous Samburu – and safeguard the extraordinary wildlife and landscapes they’ve protected for generations.
THE CHALLENGE
70% of Africa’s wildlife exists outside of National Parks and Reserves.
Most of Africa’s remaining biodiversity is co-habited by wildlife and Indigenous Peoples. Preserving this biodiversity is key to turning around the climate crisis, as these areas are major carbon sinks.
The cycle of poverty in Indigenous communities is deepening due to rapid urbanisation, loss of indigenous identity, biodiversity loss, irreversible loss of species, critical watershed damage, and climate change.
THE LANDSCAPE
In Northern Kenya, in the heart of Samburu, lies Namunyak Community Conservancy.
An area of 850,000 acres of wilderness surrounded by the Mathews Mountain Range - a critically important watershed for Northern Kenya.
Namunyak Conservancy is home to the nomadic Samburu pastoralists, Kenya’s 2nd largest elephant population, Kenya’s largest population of reticulated giraffe, as well as endangered grévy’s zebra.
The Sarara Foundation sincerely engages the Indigenous Samburu community to preserve their cultural independence and build economic strength through smart planning and local leadership partnerships.
STORIES FROM THE GROUND
News from The Sarara Foundation
