the rippLe eFFect
oF scoUt sUpport
A
key aspect of AWF's capacity building
work involves the training and placement
of scouts in conservancies and community
lands set aside for conservation. From Kenya
south to Zambia, from the Democratic
Republic of Congo west to Burkina Faso,
AWF's provision of uniforms and boots,
walkie-talkies, and gasoline for vehicles;
training in ecological surveying and natural
resource management; and funding for
paramilitary training have allowed community
scouts to take a leading role in anti-poaching
efforts. By conducting regular patrols within
conservancy boundaries, educating their
neighbors about the importance of sustainable
natural resource management, and gathering
critical information on potential poaching
operations, community scouts have helped
to create buffer zones outside of national
parks and other protected areas.
"I wanted to be a person that works within
the community and helps improve the
conservancy," said Jacob Sakimba, a scout
working in the Kilitome Conservancy of
AWF's Kilimanjaro Heartland. Sakimba,
who has a wife and five kids, also notes
the income benefit of his scout work:
"My family loves that I have this job. I earn
a salary, and it pays our kids' school fees."
Perhaps most importantly, AWF's support
has had a positive ripple effect beyond
simply those individual scouts: Our scout
work builds awareness about, and a
foundation for, conservation throughout
communities and, ultimately, future
generations. "We are helping to teach
people about conservation," said Jackson
Cytonik, a scout working in the Ole Narika
Conservancy in Kilimanjaro Heartland.
"I wanted to be a person
that works within the
community and helps
improve the conservancy"
p
Community scouts, who help catch poachers and
raise awareness about proper natural resource
management, make a difference across Africa.