Amara Conservation is proud to announce that our own Isaac Maina has been honored as a Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund Hero for 2008. This is an excellent example of how local actions can have a truly global reach. Everyone Amara works with is really a hero in different ways; these are inspired and motivated people doing difficult and occasionally dangerous work.
But Isaac stands out as an example of how Amara’s ground-up approach really works.
Isaac began working with Amara Conservation in 2002, when he was selected to oversee a new de-snaring team organized by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, using a vehicle donated by Amara. He has since been instrumental in expanding Amara’s Mobile Film Unit, helping develop strong relationships with the local communities by facilitating meetings with local Chiefs and District Officers, Principals and Head Teachers.
Although Isaac has a humble, hardworking demeanor, he is fearlessly dedicated to preserving the wildlife in Kenya. He also devotes a great deal of spare time to conservation efforts, often with innovative thinking.
One example of this was a program he developed in which the wire snares that poachers use were recycled into pokers to clean up litter. He then organized clean up events with the locals in the town of Voi, rewarding them at the end with a game drive inside Tsavo on a KWS bus. A simple but brilliant idea that created multiple positive results; the wire snares were recycled, the litter got cleaned up, and the locals actually had fun receiving education about their own environment while engaging in important conservation work.
Isaac is constantly interacting with local communities, often in the role of guest teacher in the schools. Imagine the fire that can be lit in the mind and heart of a child upon learning that their soft-spoken teacher has been acknowledged by the media giant Walt Disney for his work preserving the wildlife of Kenya.
Inspiring interactions like this that can influence a generation are made possible by the kind support of people like you.
About Lori Bergemann
