Beads of Pride: Mara Rianda Women Group’s Bracelets Headed to Ree Park in Denmark
The Mara Rianda Women Group is a community-based initiative that was established to promote sustainable livelihoods and empower women in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya. The group specializes in producing beautiful beaded jewelry using traditional Maasai techniques, which are passed down from generation to generation. Recently, the group received new orders from Ree Park in Denmark. The park has placed a new order for their signature beaded bracelets, which will be used in the Ree Park Run this spring. This news has been a source of great pride
Sweet Success: Honey Harvesting Season in Mara North Conservancy
As the dry season comes to an end in the Maasai Mara, a new season begins at Karen Blixen Camp: honey harvesting season. The buzzing of bees can be heard throughout the Mara North Conservancy as the beekeepers begin to collect the sweet nectar from their hives. The beekeeping project at Karen Blixen Camp is an important initiative that promotes sustainable farming and conservation in the region. The project provides a source of income for the Maasai community while also helping to protect the environment and biodiversity of the
BIRD WATCHING IN MASAI MARA
Bird watching is an important element of every game drive and with over 1,290 bird species endemic to East Africa, watching birds’ behavior in the Masai Mara is really an adventure on its own. Masai Mara is known worldwide for its abundance and variety of wildlife, in particular the big cats but the Masai Mara’s birdlife, although less well known is equally impressive. Karen Blixen Camp is a great birding site with unique bird species. You can expect to see many different species from the larger cranes and
MNC DOG PROJECT WEEK
The previous week has been super busy on the trust side with the Mara North Conservancy Dog Project. Karen Blixen Camp Trust is a Kenyan nonprofit organization located in the unique and fragile ecosystem of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Together with donors and partners, they support conservation of wildlife and wilderness, community empowerment, and childhood and vocational education hence coming up with the Mara North Conservancy Dog project. The workshops take place twice a year carrying out neuter surgeries on domestic dogs, vaccinating against rabies, canine distemper and
KAREN BLIXEN HOSPITALITY SCHOOL INTERNET
The hospitality school has finally been connected to the internet. This is good news not only for the hospitality school but the entire teaching fraternity. The world has become a global village and technology has been growing at a faster rate than before with the youths being vested on IoT (Internet of Things). Majority of the ICT and Cooking School students are internet and technology savvy and are keen on using the available resources that the school has to push their boundaries when it comes to learning. With
VETERINARY RESEARCH STUDENTS AT THE CAMP
Three veterinary students from Sweden visited Karen Blixen Camp to study the domestic cats in the Mara North Conservancy Area as a school project. Ronja, Elin and Emilia interviewed the locals about the cats’ role in the community, how they are taken care of and collected information of where the cats lived within the communities. Domestic cats serve as rodent controllers and pets in many countries around the world. But did you know the cat is also an invasive species that can act as predators to many small animals
The Charcoal Briquette Project
The Maasai-Rianda Women Group are slowly racking up the charcoal briquette production almost towards the pre pandemic period. During the pandemic and lock-down, the charcoal briquette program came to halt as the market became scarce and resources limited with the lock-down put in place by the government. This put a strain on the finances they would have received from the briquettes by selling them to the camp and other interested groups and families nearby. The production of the briquettes requires a carbonized material that the mamas collect from elephant
Equipment Donations for Karen Blixen Camp Students
A Few weeks ago, Marla and Jerome, who were guests staying at the camp, visited Karen Blixen Cooking School and donated funds for the cooking class as well as the IT students. The school managed to buy a blender and an extra laptop for the IT class. The cooking class had only one blender for practicals but thanks to the funding, they have two for efficiency and speed. The IT class has also gained popularity within the local community. This has brought in the need to buy another
Sanitary Towels Donation at Mara United School
Karen Blixen Camp in conjunction with Karen Blixen Camp Trust is always committed to uplifting the living standards of the host Maasai community through the establishment of various Community Social Responsibility (CSR) projects. Karen Blixen Camp Trust is a Kenyan non-profit organization located in the unique and fragile ecosystem of the Maasai Mara in Kenya. Together with donors and partners we support conservation of wildlife and wilderness, community empowerment, and childhood and vocational education. Girls of Mara United School Guests who come to visit the camp play a large part
Nature Therapy
One of the most inspiring things about going on safari is how being in step with nature makes you find your own rhythm too, and at Karen Blixen Camp, guests can shape the flow of each day according to what resonates with them most. Every moment holds the potential for the healing power of the wilderness to unfold – from relaxing into soothing wellness treatment or a therapeutic body massage whilst being out in one of the world’s most beautiful places listening to the rich bird life and