© Chake Conservancy and licensors 2020
“A very warm welcome to the new look 2021 Chake Community
Conservancy website! I am sure that wherever you live, anywhere
in the world, you will agree with me that this last year has been
like no other! At Chake we have watched the disaster unfurl with
terrible sadness. As I write this, I see the number of Covid deaths
in the USA has just topped 300,000. An unbelievable figure!
Covid has cursed Kenya too, and many have died but thankfully
none of our Chake community have become infected. But we
miss our foreign visitors keenly!
Before the pandemic nature-based tourism was the lifeblood of
many economies and employed 21.8 million jobs worldwide. 1.6
million of them were in Kenya! Tourism revenue also supported
many communities living next door to wildlife and conservation.
This is especially true in our Conservancies. (See our activities).
Fortunately, our natural assets and our wonderful wildlife have
weathered this storm and as the new year dawns we believe that
we can face it with confidence.
Covid-19 was not the first zoonotic pandemic to emerge in recent years. Ebola and HIV-AIDS
made the jump from primates to humans in damaged tropical forests in Congo. And as a medical man I saw the
dreadful impact of HIV-AIDS. It has killed over 33 million, Kenya was especially brutally affected and even now in
Chake we are caring for HIV orphans although thanks to our Chake community education efforts and better
healthcare the spread is curbed, Covid however has been a true wake up call to the dangers of destroying nature.
The world is not fully awake but the voices are ever louder and more difficult for sleepers to ignore!
The UN Sec General in his recent speech on World Biodiversity Day stated “Humanity is waging war on nature! ...
Nature always strikes back and it is already doing so with growing force and fury.”
His words have since been echoed by many other world leaders. And, as scientists state, we are in now as I write
this, entering our planet’s Sixth Extinction. More than one million species could become extinct in the coming
decades. This is not an asteroid killing dinosaurs. It is humanity waging its war. And not against an enemy. We are
waging war on our best ally! Nature! But the UN leader also added “Making peace with Nature is the defining task
of the 21st century. It must be the top, top priority for everyone, everywhere.”
Making peace with Nature is our philosophy at Chake. We work to stop human/wildlife conflict, we teach poachers
other, better ways to make a livelihood rather than Law breaking and killing, we plant trees for our community and
our wild neighbours, we think the time for a new Post-Covid recovery is now!
“ But what can I do?” A lot of people see depressing news or watch a heartbreaking David Attenborough
documentary and think this! The answer is ‘lots!’
By helping us restore a damaged forest, by ‘adopting’ a tree, you may be thousands of
miles away and feeling powerless but you are directly helping change the future for the
better, sowing seeds of hope and giving valuable work to our vulnerable community
members. By equipping our rangers, you are fighting extinctions. It is you keeping the
animals safe and your ranger warm and dry on the cold night patrols. By sponsoring a
bee hive you are keeping elephants away from crops and sweetening our meals with
your honey. And, of course, pollinating plants! You don’t have to buy land here to protect
it. It is ours. And with your help we vow to continue to protect it!
If you are a scientist, an agricultural extension worker, an IT teacher or specialist and
want to come here physically, of course you are most welcome (see How to Help
section).
But anybody, anywhere, can help us make this new decade what the UN has called The Decade of Action!
Thank you for visiting this website. We hope you enjoy your ‘virtual visit’ to our Chake home! And that you will stay
with us virtually in the months to come. We will update. The doors will always be open. And feel free to share the
contents! Best of all, of course, we look forward to welcoming you physically when happier times allow!
Karibu! You are welcome!”
Charles Kinara
Founder, Chake Community Conservancy
Founder’s Message
New Beginnings
Sustainable development is a journey, not a destination and
the community have begun with a series of programs aimed
to reduce human wildlife conflict and encourage ecological
restoration of forest cover because it makes an excellent
starting point.
Planting trees contributes to sustainable development goals
6 Clean Water And Sanitation, 11 Sustainable Cities and
Communities,13 Climate Action and 15 Life On Land.
Maasai Mara
For
Public and Wildlife Benefit
‘Chake’ means ‘theirs’ in the Kiswahili tongue. This name recognises that
ownership of the conservancy is shared with people and wildlife. The
community want to live in better harmony with nature and are opposed to
the hunting and poaching of wildlife, preferring to benefit from flourishing
wildlife through sustainable ecotourism and responsible farming practices.
Chake (pronounced Cha-Ke) stands for:
C - care for
H - human and
A - animals
K- Kenya
E - education
Over the years the area had become deforested from unsustainable use as
fuel. Since January 2020 members of Chake have raised over 3,500 tree
seedlings in their nursery and planted them out to serve simultaneously as
habitat and food for wildlife, erosion control, shade trees, windbreaks and for
watershed improvement.
We seek funding for these operations.
Contribute To Chake Conservancy GOFUNDME
What Does Chake Mean?
CHAKE’S MANAGEMENT
The Conservancy currently has a staff of 56 and a management board as follows:
Director - Charles Kinara, Chairperson - Samson Ondimu, Secretary - Collins Ochumbe,
Treasurer - Beatrice Oyaro,
Operations Manager - Charles Makori - Julie Rack- Communications Officer
Management Page
Chake Community Development Program helps:
•
advocate against traditional practice of Female
Genital Mutilation in Narok area
•
support widows and orphans of wildlife conflict
•
provide healthcare advocacy with prevalent zoonotic
issues such as COVID-19, AIDS and Jiggers.
•
educate for health and prosperity
More …
Within the Chake Conservancy we help reduce wildlife
conflict through advocacy and assistance with:
•
live fences of bee hives
•
solar lighting installation
•
employment of local Rangers
•
artisan employment in craftwork
•
employment within the tourism sector.
•
assistance to victims of wildlife interactions
Our conservancy area is in the eastern part of Masai Mara running from
oloololo gate to the end of Masai Mara bordering Serengeti National
Park of Tanzania. Our offices are in Oldonyo Orok in Angata barrikoi in
Transmara West.
More …
Chake Conservancy added to map
courtesy of africaGeographic.
RESPONSIBLE AGRICULTURE
The community surrounding the Chake conservancy
and Masai Mara are good farmers of maize and beans,
we are supporting them to protect their farm from wild
animals so that they can practice sustainable farming
and no more retaliations made against wild animals.
Sustainable Farming
Chake’s Office in Odonyo Orok
DIRECTOR
Charles Kinara
Charles Kinara founded
Chake Community
Conservancy and maintains a
small community clinic
through the Covid pandemic,
spreading peace, awareness,
PPE and paramedic nursing
services. He loves lions and
elephants. His current focus is
firmly on conservation of
wildlife and people. See more!
CHAIR
Samson Ondimu
Samson Ondimu handles much
of the Chake Conservancy
admin and paperwork. He has
a diploma in education and is
involved in teaching and
administration at the
Conservancy schools as well
as in outreach projects to
adults. He especially enjoys
teaching farming techniques
and loves sharing the
pleasures of books! See why!
SECRETARY
Collins Ochumbe
Collins is Secretary for
Chake and can do everything
from resolving issues with a
farmer who has lost crops to
elephants, to helping out on
a conservancy patrol to
rescuing a vehicle flattened
by a falling acacia tree and
saving lives. He also runs
Shavicol Safaris with his
brother.
See why he loves Cheetahs!
TREASURER
Gladys Orwochi
Gladys is our new treasurer.
When not in the ofice she
work in an Agrovet selling
farm inputs and equipment.
She loves wildlife and loves
cheetahs. She is married and
has two children.
See why she loves Chake
Community Conservancy!
OPERATIONS MANAGER
Charles Makori
Charles Makori, (39) born in
the Rift Valley, with diploma
in Agricultural Education and
Extension specialises in
teaching Chake farmers the
best ways to grow crops
naturally in local conditions.
He says. “I love teaching the
community on wildlife
management and love the
conflict solutions!”
COMMUNICATIONS/FUNDRAISING
Julia Rack
Julia Rack began a life long
involvement with conservation and
wildlife as a girl nurturing orphaned
and injured lion and cheetah cubs
and a varied menagerie including
baboons, vervet monkeys, rooikats
(caracals) before making a career of
communications and fundraising.
Julia has a deep love of Kenya and is
a firm believer in the Conservancy
model as the future for wildlife and
sustainable human prosperity
throughout Africa. “She says. “I want
to bring this back to my home
country.” See why she helps Chake!
The Chake Conservancy Management Team