Just back from Tsavo having finished the one week radio training. It was really something to see the place now that drought has ended for the time being…there are millions of white ipomoea, a type of morning glory, covering everything – trees, bushes, ground, even into the roads. From the dead brown dustbowl it now looks like Eden! We didn’t see much wildlife – a couple of elephants, a very large hyena, and many giraffes as their heads do stick up from the lush green burst of plantlife!

We were told that there is only ONE resident hippo at Mzima Springs – when there used to be at least 100 of them. It’s possible that they have just wandered off for now, but we were also told that nearly 500 hippos died in the drought. And many thousands of other animals just starved to death as well. This is the reality of Tsavo life. [Read more...]

We are here in Tsavo West at the Headquarters of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)  with Max Graef from RadioActive UK.

Max is the Director of RadioActive UK, a company that sets up community radio stations around the world. Max was brought to Kenya to help with a new station broadcasting in Mogadishu Somalia, and planned an extra week at the end of that contract to help us out for this short working group – which is fantastic for us!

We need to raise some funds for the more intense training sessions and startup of Phase I of the station – but this has been a great week so far. We have met with the top Wardens and Officers of the KWS, KWS staff, and now this group that has KWS staff, people from local NGO’s and CBO’s, and all of our Amara staff.

We are learning so much about how to make radio programs.

Max brought a mixer and some mics and a computer – we have our film equipment and speakers…people have split up into groups and are making several test radio programs, including interviews, radio dramas, jingles, and new shows! Many test programs are being made in which we all learn more about all the different aspects of radio.
This is just a start for us – we will be raising funds to have a longer more detailed workshop before we are able to launch the station – and we are all hoping that will happen very soon! We are staying in a lovely little new remote house inside the rhino sanctuary – although it is a 1.5 hour drive through the park to get there!

Here are a few photos from the workshop… [Read more...]