In the ongoing Kenyan educational awareness campaign on dolphin protection, the continued focus is on the key target group, the schools.

Dan Schumacher, the TUI KenyaResort Manager as the

YoD Kenya coordinator presented the Dolphin manuals

toSarah Ater, the Educational Programme Officer with the

Coral Reef Degradationin the Indian Ocean (CORDIO).

Dan made recognition of the benefits of networkingand

building partnerships with stakeholders in marine conservation

as principalfactor in the milestone achievements of the YoD

Kenya awareness campaign.

CORDIO is a NGO involved inresearch in 11 countries in the Central

and Western Indian Ocean region, focusing onmitigating impacts to

reefs and identifying alternative livelihoods for peopledependant

on reefs and have partnered in the dolphin awareness campaign.

As theEducation programme Officer, Sarah Ater conveys the message

toEnvironmental Clubs of Ganjoni, Mtwapa and Mlaleo Primary Schools

who inturn catalyze their colleagues to act on and encourage

responsible practicesin preserving Environmental health.

In presenting the YoD manualsto the Chairman of the Mombasa

Beach Management Units (BMUs), an Associationcomprising fishermen

on the Mombasa landing sites, Sarah asserted that theactivities of

fishermen impacted on marine life and described the inappropriately

sized nets as the principal contributory factor to by catch and a threat

tobiodiversity. On behalf of the members of the BMU, the Chairman

assured hewould educate BMU members on sustainable fishing

practice.

----------------------------------------------

Eleven years old Karishma Bhagani says sheadores dolphins and

cannot imagine how the future of a mammal with an infectioussmile

can be allowed to be imperiled. Obviously perturbed by this, Karishma,

astudent in class five at the Agakhan Academy, Mombasa lobbied with

her schoolteacher and Principal to have the school share her concern

for the dolphins.Persistent and determined she won the sympathy

of the Principal and got herclassmates to communicate through

drawings and art, the beauty of dolphins and thethreats to its

existence.

Accompanied by her mother, Karishma gotAbdulaziz Abdalla, a

member of the YoD Kenya team, to give a presentationon dolphin to

the school. In the presence of her peers, school teachersand the

principal, Karishma made an eloquent and passionate plea for the

youth to take responsibility forprotecting the environment

by inculcating values that would be imbedded andpersonify the

character of future citizens of the world. In making hiscontribution

Abdulaziz paid tribute to Karishma’s initiative and concern thatshould

reflect our own image as we interact with the environment. Abdulaziz

then presented the schoolchildren with the YoD manuals that will teach

them about dolphin biology, species diversity, habitats and

conservation principles.