08 Jun Skip the Jet Lag and Get Busy in East Africa!

Written by Andree Nesta Rosen and Liam Russel, 2014 East Africa Discovery. 

Jetlag? No time for that! Arriving at different times from different parts of Canada, we took to exploring the markets and parks of Nairobi (just happy not be sitting in a 12-hour plane). On our first official day as a group, we visited the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage where 32 elephants, from 0-5 years old, are nurtured and rehabilitated in the hopes to be set back into the wild. These precious creatures were all left orphaned for different reasons, although sadly most stories were of poaching and human-wildlife conflict. For as little as 50$ US a year, you can even sponsor an elephant from which you receive monthly updates on its condition and activities.

Fun fact: we enjoyed a delicious lunch of chapatti and beef in a canteen located in a police station, which is quite common here. Canada – take notes!

We also saw another side to Nairobi while visiting the Mwelu Foundation based in the slum district of Mathare. The organisation reaches out to people from the slum and uses digital media to showcase social and environmental issues, both good and bad, through local exhibits and online.

Although we didn’t have as much time as we would have liked with them, we were able to witness its impact in the local community as many of the children we met were either taking creative writing, photography or film-making classes from Mwelu.

It’s quick update, but we’re off to explore the wildlife at Naivasha! Check back on our blog soon for more photos and updates. Word of warning though, you may get a little wanderlust 😉