Amboseli Eco Camp village is built on land belonging originally to several members of the community, who donated it to the NGO InterActions & Solidarity. This project, specific and visible, is neither designed nor administered by Kenya tourism professionals with personal business interests, but by the beneficiaries of programs implemented by I & S communities.
Its main objective is to support communities to organize themselves in order to earn additional income and alternative response to the chronic decline in their pastoral resources, and to ensure independent operation of the dispensary, the water supply system, school and social welfare center, built and implemented by InterActions & Solidarity.
This strong capacity building dimension project was initially focused on a community initiative: the community built and financed the first installations of Amboseli Eco Camp .At the beginning, numerous erosion faults were present on this site, and represented a real threat to the herds and children, victims of accidents in these faults. The first work of the community was to restore the soil, and for this, starting with filling these gaps in using gabions, real cages about one meter by two meters filled with stones and placed every twenty meters. The treatment of these faults is performed upstream and downstream of the site.
Perpendicular trenches were then excavated to accommodate a ground cover for soil reinforcement.
The community was helped for the manufacture and installation of gabions and the choice of plant cover by volunteer trainers from the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment of Kenya, who shared local real skills, expertise and professional know-how.
January 2009
I&S implements a clinic, a school, and plans the building of a training center and a social assistance unit. The clinic and the school received funding for the construction and implementation of their activities, and I&S would like to register their long-term operation in a perspective of local autonomy.
After many community meetings, it was agreed that the community tourism project of Amboseli Eco Camp would be the solution to ensure the future of the community by providing financial subsidies essential to the operation of its educational, social and health system.
April 2009
The first three huts (enkaji) were then built according to traditional methods and were cemented. Many plants were purchased by the community and planted in the village.
A few weeks later, The enkaji were painted, the floor was cemented, doors and windows, locally made, were installed. A water supply was installed. The roof and ceiling insulation of the enkaji will later receive insulation treatment.
The community and I&S have had the great honor of a visit and congratulations from Dr. Jacob Ole Miaron, The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of State for National Heritage and Culture (PhD). Dr. Ole Miaron had heard of this community initiative and wished to visit the project, which he described as unique in Kenya.
