Rhino conservation is alive and well in Kenya. The birth of the 100th black rhino on Ol Pejeta Conservancy makes them the only black rhino sanctuary in East Africa and one of only eight sanctuaries throughout Africa to have reached this amazing milestone. Rhinos are facing the worst poaching crisis in decades but with concerted conservation efforts their population can increase and the species saved.

The population of black rhino in Africa plummeted from an estimated 65,000 to around 10,000 in the early 1980s. By 2001, the total African population was estimated at 3,100. In Kenya alone, the population dropped from 20,000 to less than 300 due to illegal killing for rhino horn. This represents a loss of 4.5 rhinos a day for 10 years.

At present, there are an estimated 620 black rhino in Kenya, and 100 of them live on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Kenya is the stronghold of the last remaining population of eastern sub-species (Diceros bicornis michaeli), holding 88% of the world’s remaining population. In response to the drastic reduction in rhino numbers through poaching, Kenya decided to set up specially protected and fenced sanctuaries for rhino conservation. The creation of these sanctuaries was designed to maximize breeding potential, using surplus animals to re-stock any new areas. Ol Pejeta is one such sanctuary.

Ol Pejeta is located in the Laikipia region of Kenya, near Mount Kenya and Nanyuki. http://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/about

Uganda Girls Scholarship Foundation Christmas Giving 2013 Campaign – this is a Registered Canadian Charity. Give the gift of education. www.ugsfund.com. Girls who have been educated are likely to marry later, to have smaller and healthier families. Educated women can recognize the importance of health care and know how to seek it for themselves and their children. Education helps girls and women to know their rights and to gain confidence to claim them. (UNESCO)

The Ugandan Girls Scholarship Foundation was established in 2005. To date 16 girls have been assisted with full scholarships to secondary boarding school. These 16 girls are merely a sampling of the intelligent and talented young women in the Budondo sub county. Many of those girls will not continue past elementary school because their family can’t afford school fees. Without funding for school the girls will return to their family home and remain dependent on their family for their well being. Often they will marry young, live in abject poverty, have many children and continue the cycle of poverty. With your support, UGSF can change the lives of even more young women. Ultimately, they hope to have broader effect on the community as a whole as these girls will eventually be in a better position to give back to their community.

UGSF philosophy: As global citizens, we have an obligation to make a difference. We have chosen this project because it matches our personal values and beliefs. With your help, we are in a position to effect change. We are also pleased to be doing our part toward the accomplishment of the UN Millennium Development Goals. www.ugsfund.com

After a number of days in Vientiane, we flew to Luang Prabang, a lovely little city set in the mountains, about halfway between Vientiane and the Chinese border.  It is a magical setting, with Wats everywhere.  The town is a Unesco World Heritage site.  Young novice monks are a common sight, clad in orange robes, usually barefoot, and often carrying umbrellas to guard against the sun.  Most Lao boys will temporarily ordain as monks for anywhere from a number of weeks to several years, with many choosing to remain for the rest of their lives.

In the mornings at around 6:30, the monks walk in silence through the streets to receive food from the locals and tourists alike.  It is quite a sight to see, hundreds of monks, some look as young as 7, parading barefoot, single file, carrying baskets slung over their shoulders to receive their alms.  Vendors sell bundles of cooked rice, wrapped in banana leaves, to the tourists, so that we have something to give to the monks. The locals just use their hands and toss handfuls of cooked rice into the baskets.  The only source of food for the monks is donated and it appears that it is mostly rice.  I wonder how a person could survive just eating rice.

The guesthouse where we have been staying is right next to a Wat, so we can hear the morning and evening gongs, which is the call to prayer.  4 times a month the drum is also sounded, and that is what we woke to this morning.

We visited a Wat and a young monk struck up a conversation with my friend, who is male. I stood back until the monk spoke to me, as I was not sure if it was allowed for a woman to converse with one.  I know that it is not allowed for a woman to touch a monk.  This young man, Nordiaw (pronounced Nodio), is 19 and has been at that temple for 5 years.  He enjoyed speaking English with us and he opened up the Wat for us and answered all our questions. He was very sweet and we spent about an hour with him.  He laughed when I answered that I had no children, because in Laos that is almost unheard of. We read some of his English homework and I wrote some things in his book to help with pronunciation.  Th and sh sounds are foreign to the Lao tongue.  Nordiaw then exchanged email addresses with us!

He mentioned that foreigners are welcome to the Wat during prayertime and invited us to attend that evening. I was incredulous and knew I had to grab this opportunity.  I felt intimidated about just strolling into a Wat at prayer time, although I knew I would not be judged and it was the right thing for me to do.  I also knew it would likely be the chance of a lifetime, so I took it.

As soon as the prayer gong was sounded I entered the temple and I was all alone, so I knelt and meditated for about 15 minutes before about 14 monks came in together.  After their initial prayer, they reverted to chanting.  The one old monk, kneeling at the front, would sing one line, then the rest of the group would respond with a very long verse. Their voices filled my body and my spirit, as I knelt with my eyes closed and got lost in the sensation.

This was such an uplifting experience, I only wish I could have sung along with them.  I left the temple at exactly the right moment, I believe, because as soon as I walked out, they stopped chanting.  The sun had just set and the pathway was lit with lanterns. This was an hour in my life that I will never forget.  I have come away from this experience with more questions than answers, and I know how lucky I am. Kop chai lai lai (thank-you very much).

PACKING LIST

Please be cognizant and respectful of the local culture and dress modestly, especially if visiting an area with a high Muslim population. For your own comfort, take clothes that are easy to launder and dry quickly. Avoid dark colors and perfumed toiletries as they will attract mosquitoes.

Clothing

• Fleece for morning game drives
• Flipflops
• Hat
• Hiking boots (if trekking) and socks
• Long trousers – light weight zip offs are good
• Old paint clothes (if volunteering)
• Rain jacket
• Sarong
• Short/Long sleeved shirts (no tank tops or singlets)
• Shorts (women’s shorts should be knee length)
• Skirts (knee length or longer)
• Sports sandals
• Sweater or shawl for cool evenings
• Swimming suit
• T-Shirts or quick drying tops
• Warm clothing for morning game drives and/or Aberdare National Park

Note – for tracking chimps or gorillas, you will likely have to tramp through the bush so best to be covered completely with long sleeved shirt or jacket, long pants, socks and closed-toe shoes.

Other

• Adaptor Plug (and converter if required)
• Airline ticket/hotel vouchers
• Anti-Malaria medication
• Binoculars
• Cameras, batteries, etc
• Daypack or water bottle carrier (for trek)
• First Aid Kit
• Flashlight (Head lamps are best)
• Health documents including proof of Yellow Fever vaccination (if required)
• If camping, a sleeping bag/pillow/air mattress/towel
• Laundry detergent and small clothesline
• Money belt
• Mosquito repellent