Ngilai Outreach Center
OUR VISION
The key stakeholders involved in this outreach center are Kitich Forest Camp and the Ngilai community.
This community outreach project aims to enhance the quality of life in the remote Ngilai community by offering essential services, fostering empowerment opportunities, and improving education, health, and overall well-being within the community. We are working towards a more empowered and self-sufficient community. Additionally, it will serve as a link between the community and the lodge, improving community relations, communications and approachability, while also providing a vital platform for guests to engage in meaningful community initiatives, and hopefully help us grow our positive impact in the community.
The outreach center will provide the following services to the community:
A cyber cafe
● Power-charging station
● Internet
● Computers
● IT help/ E-citizen/ Digital skills training
● Printing and scanning
Currently, community members must travel two-hours each way via boda boda (which costs around 2,000 Ksh) in order to access essential digital services, such as using the internet or printing necessary documents. Our goal is to reduce this burden by providing local support for various online activities. These include assisting with job searches and applications, facilitating E-citizen submissions, and developing general IT skills. Especially as digital literacy becomes increasingly crucial in today's world, we aim to empower the community with these vital skills.
Education Center
Library | Educational videos and talks | Educational posters | Workshops | Conservation education
Access to power and internet enables us to share educational videos, documentaries, and skills training materials with the community and Ngilai school. We hope this approach will broaden education and develop applicable skills in an engaging, and exciting way. We aim to develop a more informed, sustainable, and prosperous future for the entire Ngilai community.
What we have accomplished so far:
Our cybercafé is up and running!
We're thrilled to announce that our community cybercafé is now fully operational, and we have already welcomed our first customers. Thanks to Kitich Forest Camp's generous support, we've installed; A solar system, Starlink internet, a printer, and two second hand computers. In the interest of sustainability, to ensure long-term viability and fair usage, we've implemented a modest fee structure for our services.
Additionally, the Ngilai Outreach Center office now boasts a stunning mural created by a talented artist from nearby Wamba, adding a vibrant touch of colour to our space.
Dental health and Eye care clinic
We hosted a dedicated team of healthcare professionals, running a humanitarian mission in collaboration with Egas Moniz School of Health & Science in Portugal. The team brought essential expertise and services to the Ngilai community, making a significant impact in just two days.
Key impacts:
Two skilled dentists, Dr. André Mariz de Almeida and Dr. Catarina Martinho, along with a pharmacist, provided crucial dental care to over 100 community members.
The team conducted eye examinations and distributed secondhand glasses to those in need.
A generous donation of medications was made to the Ngilai clinic, bolstering local healthcare resources.
The community were very appreciative of the clinic, and we are very happy with hopefully the first of many dental health clinics, working together to create healthier, happier Ngilai community! We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Egas Moniz School of Health & Science and the dedicated professionals who volunteered their time and expertise.
Reusable sanitary pads
Empowering Girls Through Sustainable Menstrual Health
We're excited to announce our upcoming initiative to support girls' education and health in our community. Thanks to generous donations and partnerships, we've secured 200 reusable sanitary pad kits for distribution to students at Ngilai Primary and Secondary Schools.
Our Reusable Sanitary Pad Kit Program includes:
Afripads: Donated by Egas Moniz School of Health & Science dental health mission
Makini pad sets: Purchased from Kenya Works by Kitich Camp
These eco-friendly, high-quality kits will be distributed when schools reopen, ensuring our local girls have the resources they need to manage their menstrual health, while promoting regular school attendance, and also reducing environmental waste
We are excited to start this initiative supporting the well-being of young women in our community.
In the pipeline: Exciting Partnerships
In partnership with CHAT, we hope to be offering essential family planning education. This workshop aims to provide vital reproductive health information to our community members.
Vetinwild, led by Stephen Chege, are very interested in conducting basic veterinary and animal husbandry education. Additionally, they have developed a comprehensive livestock health program, with the first ‘vet camp’ set to launch in January. This initiative will provide vaccinations, inoculations, deworming, and tick control for over 1,000 animals, as well as veterinary care for cases requiring special attention. As livestock is crucial to Samburu life and culture, we're actively seeking funding to support this vital program.
Kenya Works has expressed keen interest in educating our girls about menstrual health, sanitation, and the use of reusable pad kits. They're also open to training a community member in pad kit production, fostering local sustainability. This knowledge transfer will enable our community to produce these essential items independently. Building on this momentum, we aim to sponsor a local woman for tailoring training. This skill development initiative will not only enable her to produce reusable pads but also provide tailoring services for the community and Kitich Camp. This empowerment project will create new income opportunities and allow her to share her skills with other women in Ngilai.
Get involved
If you are interested in being a part of this Ngilai outreach project, please do get in touch. There are lots of opportunities and areas that we need help; be that in funding, donating books and equipment, or contacts and good ideas, we are open to all of it.
Funding:
Vetinwild program | Tailoring course and a sewing machine | A projector| A motorbike
Donations (not money):
Any books, videos, educational content | Sports/other equipment for the school
Other:
Ideas | Art projects | Contacts
