Eco-Education in Africa Teaches Young Women about Conservation

Each year, WWF offers an Eco-holiday to young students whose educations are sponsored by our work. This past year,  a group of young women  spent a week in and around Kiunga—a fishing village on an island off the coast of Kenya. Led by WWF staff, the girls visited fishing villages, coral reefs, beaches and mangrove forests. They studied the Lamu  seascape to gain firsthand knowledge of what, why and how WWF works  to conserve marine resources in the region.

Vibrant marine life
Kenya’s Lamu island chain supports a great variety of coastal and marine biodiversity including:

• Olive Ridley and hawksbill turtles
• dugongs
• an array of corals
• whales

The archipelago’s beaches, mangroves and coral reefs provide diverse and important habitats for a variety of bird and fish species—including many that people rely on for food and income.

Empowerment for a brighter future
WWF was able to take 12 sponsored young women scholars on the trip—a mark of progress in a traditional society where girls are not often allowed to travel far from home. Among the student scholars was Samia, who has the highest grades in her class and won a prize for her essay on the importance of managing natural resources sustainably.

For all these young women, the trip helped further their knowledge of conservation and offered a hands-on opportunity to imagine how they might help people live in balance with nature.

Learn more
Helping communities manage natural resources wisely

This story was originally published in FOCUS, WWF’s bi-monthly member newsletter. Become a member today!