Pack for a Purpose

Pack for a Purpose is a simple idea that really benefits the community projects that Great Plains Conservation’s camps and lodges are involved in. 

Each of our camps, listed below, work with communities that have specific needs.  If you have a small space in your luggage of just a couple of kilos, these communities will receive donations of gifts directly that they really can use and who have themselves given us, and the Pack for a Purpose organisation, their needs of useful items that they will be extremely grateful for.

For more information please visit www.packforapurpose.org or click on the individual camp links below

Selinda Camp, Zarafa Camp, Selinda Canoe Trail

PROJECT 1: GUDIKWE SCHOOL INITIATIVE

At present the community projects that the camps of the Selinda Reserve support are concentrated out in the villages to the west of the reserve. There are five villages in the area called Gudikwa, Beetsha, Eretsha, Gonutsuga and Seronga. We do also support projects in the surrounding area of our head office, which is based in Kazungula, near Kasane.We have started with a number of smaller initiatives at Gudikwe. Kea Supang, who was a manager at one of our camps called Motswiri, runs the community projects. Kea has been with the company for sixteen years and was an ideal candidate for community project officer having had so much experience in tourism. One initiative is to go to the schools and give the copies of (Great Plains Conservation founders and directors) Dereck and Beverly Joubert's Emmy Award winning wildlife documentaries that have been translated into Setswana. Kea delivers the DVDs and then sits in with the school children during the viewing to answer any questions that they may have about wildlife.

NEEDS

English dictionaries, pens, pencils, crayons, coloring books, white board markers, chalk, rulers, calculators, exercise books, educational books and story books for children in English, soccer balls, volley balls, nets, team shorts and shirts, socks (adults and kids sizes).

PROJECT 2: GUDIKWE ARTIST INITIATIVE

Kea has also been teaching the members of the community to produce goods that we can use in the camps and sell in the curio shops. This initiative has really been popular and we have seen some very creative members of the community produce quality products. Some examples of these are recycled paper made with elephant dung, food nets with beading, artwork, jewelry from beads as well as baskets. We have built a shelter at Gudikwe where the members of the community can offer their goods to passing trade and Kea has been speaking to other lodges in the area to sell products from their curio shops as well. All profits go directly to the artists.

NEEDS

Beads for doing their bead work, knitting needles, wool, crochet needles.

Mara Plains Camp

PROJECT

Through the Outreach Programme Mara Plains Camp supports six local primary schools which together serve over 3,500 children between the ages of 2 and 15.

NEEDS

Notebooks, pens, pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpeners, rulers, erasers, deflated soccer balls (good quality and durable), any clothes (including T-shirts, shorts, & sweaters) for boys and girls ages 2 to 15, sanitary pads and tampons for young girls.

Ride Kenya & ol Donyo Lodge

PROJECT 1

The Maasailand Preservation Trust has facilitated the establishment of two primary schools and one boarding school on Mbirikani Group Ranch, providing education to over 300 students per year. In addition the Trust has constructed classrooms and renovated facilities for other group ranch schools. The Maasailand Preservation Trust also sponsors 20 government-certified teachers' salaries annually.

NEEDS

T-shirts, shorts and shoes for boys and girls ages 6 to 17, pens, pencils, rulers, erasers, story books in English, educational toys such as Scrabble, Bananagrams, Connect Four, or chess.

PROJECT 2

The Mbirikani Community Game Scouts. The Maasailand Preservation Trust employs a total of 158 fulltime community game scouts. Each scout is in uniform and trained, linked to headquarters via radio communication, equipped for camping and patrols, and receives vehicle support. These men are deployed in various operating units to combat poaching activities, resolve human-wildlife conflict, keep river systems flowing, monitor lion movement, and facilitate the Trusts' Predator Compensation Fund.

NEEDS

Basic camping equipment such as duffel bags, torches/flashlights, batteries of all sizes, sleeping bags, roll mats, old mobile phones, GPS units, binoculars, digital cameras.

PROJECT 3

Chyulu Black Rhino. The Maasailand Preservation Trust supports a dedicated rhino unit of 65 fully equipped and armed rangers who work in close collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service rangers. Their mandate is to protect a rare and highly threatened group of black rhino, one of the very last breeding populations living outside of protected sanctuaries in Kenya today. Best evidence suggests the present local rhino population to be between 14 and 18 individuals. Three successful births were recorded in the past three years. The protected sanctuaries in Kenya contain less than 600 black rhino and do not represent an acceptable long-term solution for the species, if rhino can not survive in the wild.

NEEDS

Basic camping equipment such as duffel bags, torches/flashlights, batteries of all sizes, sleeping bags, roll mats, old mobile phones, GPS units, binoculars, digital cameras.