This is it what is all about!
The Treasures of Kenya Initiative supports traditional communities in sustainable development so that they can make a living from their natural and cultural resources and conserve them for future generations. Join us in building a new base of operations so that together we can really improve the lives of as many people as possible. Make a significant contribution towards the conservation of Kenya’s unique natural and cultural heritage!
In the past twenty years, Kenya has experienced rapid changes economically, culturally and ecologically. As a result, growing portions of its unique natural and cultural heritage are coming under threat. Impacts of climate change and COVID-19 are accelerating this trend.
Traditional communities play a key role in preserving these natural and cultural treasures. They are the custodians of traditional knowledge and cultural roots, as well as users and owners of vast, largely pristine lands.
But communities in areas of rich cultural and ecological diversity often lack access to support on their path to greater sustainability. Yet, many of them have shown admirable commitment and determination to preserve these ressources using their own indigenious expertise. They only need a little boost to realise a big difference.
It is precisely such communities that the Treasures of Kenya Initiative offers targeted support. Since our inception 10 years ago, our activities and outreach has continued to expand. But the limitations of our current home base has prevented us from taking the next significant steps in our development. If we want to deliver better work, we require the space and the set-up for it.
In addition to a larger office space, we need the possibility to explore and practically test traditional as well as innovative solutions for greater sustainability. We also require a bigger space for meetings to facilitate gatherings and knowledge transfer between the individual groups, researchers and experts. In short: We urgently require a new operational base, the Treasure Hub!
We recently found a large plot with a house on the western outskirts of Nairobi, which has been vacant for some time and exactly meets the requirements for the Treasure Hub. There is sufficient space for office, meeting rooms and exhibitions, an experimental garden for organic agriculture, a tree nursery and beehives, a workshop, testing and demonstration facilities for sustainable energy, hot water and wastewater treatment. It will also have a handful of rooms for guest experts and researchers.
Unfortunately, as a privately driven project the cost of renovation, remodelling and equipment is beyond our means. Help us take the next big step to build the future Treasure Hub so that we can expand the number of traditional communities that we support, and integrate more sustainability fields into our projects!
The Treasure Initiative and the Team - who we are and how we work
The Treasures of Kenya Initiative is spearheaded by the 50 Treasures of Kenya Trust, a non-profit founded in 2011 and based near Nairobi, and its Cologne-based German sister organization, Treasures of Kenya e.V.. The two organizations are supported by a network of dedicated partners and volunteers from Switzerland, Germany and Australia.
The goal of the Initiative is dedicated to the conservation of Kenya’s natural and cultural treasures so that they can continue to serve Kenya’s sustainable development. At the center of our practical conservation efforts are those local communities who are custodians and owners of land in regions of exceptionally rich nature and culture.
Understandably, the most pressing concern of most people is sustenance of their livelihoods. This makes sustainable income generating opportunities for local communities, that can be combined with nature conservation and cultural preservation an important component of our work. This approach is a solution to resolve the presumed contradiction between consumption and conservation.
In this respect, we have initiated hands-on projects and gained experience in the fields of sustainable tourism and beekeeping. With the opportunities offered by the Treasure Hub, together with our partners we intend to open up further sustainable fields of income generation for local communities.
The Treasure Hub will enhance the network of our partner communities, enabling them to exchange experiences and local expertise amongst each other.
We are currently working with a total of seven communities in two regions, the North Rift and Northern Kenya with our projects being in various stages of implementation.
The small number of the communities we are currently engaging with, is deliberate. This is because we do not intend to implement small shortterm projects in many different places. But instead, we would like to be a reliable partner for local communities over a long period of time, cooperating in various fields of sustainable development.
We would like to achieve a broader impact later on by having these pilot communities act as local experts and development agents for other communities.
The region, culture and composition of our project partners is heterogeneous. Thus, the services provided by the Treasures of Kenya Initiative are equally diverse, ranging from assistance in organizational development, know-how transfer, fundraising, research, documentation, marketing and distribution, to in-kind support and communications.
Our project partners also benefit from the vast knowledge about Kenya and the large network we have developed over the past decade with government and non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, companies and dedicated experts.
The Team
The core team of the 50 Treasures of Kenya Trust consists of the four founding and board members:
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Ali Lempaso Lepalo studied law and hails from a traditional community on the Eastern shores of Lake Turkana himself; he speaks three local languages and is our expert on traditional culture; he is the lead researcher and manager of our social media channels, among other duties.
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Boniface Wanyera is a bright strategist and gifted networker, he is the operational manager of our offices; besides, he has cultivated a strong enthusiasm for beekeeping and honey production.
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Hardy Fiebig is a tropical agricultural engineer, photojournalist and moderator. With his creative mind, he provides important impulses for our conceptual development; when in Europe, he acts as our ambassador.
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Margaret Mulandi is Mama Hazina, the «Mother of Treasures». She looks after our finances, takes care of our guests, oversees housekeeping and maintenance of the compound and is a passionate farmer herself.
Other members of the Kenyan team:
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John Maende is a passionate filmmaker and photographer who supports us with his skills in public relations.
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Ken Omollo brings in his creativity in animation, photography and film production and supports us with his biological knowledge during our research trips.
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Nina Ogot is a gifted musician and singer. As a Treasure Ambassador, she uses her influence in Kenya and Europe to promote the Treasures of Kenya Initiative.
We are proudly presenting to you the international team of activists and advisors soon under the «Update» button of our campaign.
Now it’s about you: This is the impact of your support!
By sheer stroke of luck, we found a suitable property with a huge potential to build the future Treasure Hub. However, we need to do a lot of maintenance work and renovations, improve facilities and do some remodelling in order to realise a professional base of operations.
After our initial calculations, it became clear that as a privately funded project the building of the new Treasure Hub is a mammoth task and way beyond our financial means. But we are confident! Since inception, the Treasure Initiative has always been sustained by the commitment of many inspired people like you!
In the coming months, we are undertaking numerous activities for the development of the Treasures Hub - as far as the incoming crowdfunding support from you and others, as well as our regular project work permits us:
1st goal: 10,000 EUR
With the first 10,000 EUR we can realise the development of some most urgent items:
- Organic farming: Install an experimental garden, compost and tree nursery, build a poultry hatch with fenced enclosure, install beehives, and purchase tools and other garden and farm equipment. (2,000 EUR)
- Renovation of the main house: Major repairs to the main house, painting of rooms and interior lighting. (EUR 2,500)
- Purchase and installation of a solar system for hot water. (3,000 EUR)
- Security: Fencing and hedge planting, installation of lighting and motion sensors. (2,500 EUR)
2nd goal: 20,000 EUR.
With another 10,000 EUR the urgently needed workshop with storage room will become reality! This will allow us to tinker with technical solutions ourselves and incorporate them directly into our project work. Our own workshop will help us to save money that we would prefer to inject into projects; also, the workshop is intended to become a learning and training facility.
- Renovation of workshop and storage building: New gate, roof repairs, shelves and lighting. (5,000 EUR)
- Equipment: purchase of workbench, welding machine, circular saw, tools and other materials. (5,000 EUR)
We are happy to explain to you the goals below in more detail under the «Update» button of our campaign, in case you continue to find our project worth supporting:
3rd goal: 30,000 EUR
Another 10,000 EUR and we finally realize a sustainable power supply through solar energy, replace our outdated office computers, acquire reliable laptops for field work and equip three guest rooms for volunteers and researchers with furnishings.
4th goal: 55,000 EUR
With an additional 25,000 EUR, we can set up a training centre on the existing concrete slab for workshops, lectures and other events. This will allow us to host a bigger number of the members of our partner communities for exchange of experience and knowledge transfer.
5th goal: 65,000 EUR.
Another 10,000 EUR, and the conversion of an existing structure into a small shop for the sale and distribution of honey and other products from our partner communities becomes reality, as well as a biological wastewater treatment plant!
Please support us to set up the Treasure Hub as we continue working with traditional communities for the conservation of Kenya’s natural and cultural treasures!
