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 Kenya Resort Manager as the

YoD Kenya coordinator presented the Dolphin manuals

to Sarah Ater, the Educational Programme Officer with the

Coral Reef Degradation in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO).

Dan made recognition of the benefits of networking and

building partnerships with stakeholders in marine conservation

as principal factor in the milestone achievements of the YoD

Kenya awareness campaign.

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

and Western Indian Ocean region, focusing on mitigating impacts to

reefs and identifying alternative livelihoods for people dependant

on reefs and have partnered in the dolphin awareness campaign.

As the Education programme Officer, Sarah Ater conveys the message

to Environmental Clubs of Ganjoni, Mtwapa and Mlaleo Primary Schools

who in turn catalyze their colleagues to act on and encourage

responsible practices in preserving Environmental health.

In presenting the YoD manuals to the Chairman of the Mombasa

Beach Management Units (BMUs), an Association comprising fishermen

on the Mombasa landing sites, Sarah asserted that the activities of

fishermen impacted on marine life and described the inappropriately

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

to biodiversity. On behalf of the members of the BMU, the Chairman

assured he would educate BMU members on sustainable fishing

practice.

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

Eleven years old Karishma Bhagani says she adores dolphins and

cannot imagine how the future of a mammal with an infectious smile

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

a student in class five at the Agakhan Academy, Mombasa lobbied with

her school teacher and Principal to have the school share her concern

for the dolphins. Persistent and determined she won the sympathy

of the Principal and got her classmates to communicate through

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

existence.

Accompanied by her mother, Karishma got Abdulaziz Abdalla, a

member of the YoD Kenya team, to give a presentation on dolphin to

the school. In the presence of her peers, school teachers and the

principal, Karishma made an eloquent and passionate plea for the

youth to take responsibility for protecting the environment

by inculcating values that would be imbedded and personify the

character of future citizens of the world. In making his contribution

Abdulaziz paid tribute to Karishma’s initiative and concern that should

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.