About the Community

                                   

                                     Conservation begins with Community

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SAMBURU PEOPLE AND WILDLIFE BENEFIT DIRECTLY FROM THE CAMP

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Sabache offers guests an opportunity to experience the cultural richness of the Samburu people in northern Kenya.

The Samburu are a pastoral nomadic tribal community with a livestock-based economy. We are related to the Maasai, sharing many customs and a closely-related common language known as Maa. Most people in our community dress traditionally in bright red cloth or leather and wear beaded jewelry. Our social groups are divided by gender and age set. Traditionally, the moran, or young “warriors”, live separately from the rest of our community and are responsible for the safety of the tribe and tending cattle. Our people have lived sustainably with their environment for thousands of years, with the lightest possible carbon footprint.

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Today, both the Samburu cultural heritage and our natural environment are threatened by development and globalization. Climate change and other factors have changed habitats, and increased the severity and frequency of droughts, impacting the availability of our food and water resources.

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We hope that by sharing our culture and knowledge of the bush, we can preserve our  culture and pass on our understanding of our local ecology and environment to our children and grandchildren and future generations. Your stay at Sabache helps preserve the cultural and natural heritage of this area, offsets your own carbon imprint, and provides employment as well as much-needed food and water security, education and health care through Sabache’s community projects.

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                          EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH CONSERVATION

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Sabache is community-owned, operated and benefits local communities and conservation efforts. The Samburu Maasai people have lived here for thousands of years, seasonally using the sacred Mt O’lolokwe to herd  livestock during drought conditions, gather medicinal plants, and to perform traditional religious and cultural ceremonies. Through sustainable ecotourism, carefully crafted and managed, our local indigenous communities can reconnect with the wildlife, landscapes, and cultural heritage that our ancestors honored.

Today, the serene landscape and ecology is preserved by allowing only a small, exclusive number of overnight guests to visit Sabache.

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COMMUNITY GARDEN

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Women in our community grow organic fruits, vegetables and herbs using purified gray recycled water to sell back to the camp. Surplus foods are distributed to families, school meal programs, and for emergency food distribution programs during drought.

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COMMUNITY FUND

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Sabache’s community fund helps support a number of community needs, such as health care, schools and education programs, safe and clean water projects, food security, emergency response, and micro-finance projects.

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COMMUNITY BENEFIT

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Education: Schools receive material support and students benefit from a bursary program, which supports qualified students with secondary school  and college fees. Conservation education programs in schools and communities.

Conservation Support:  help is provided to community programs such as habitat restoration and conservation education.

 

Health Care: Our clinic/dispensary provides free medical care to community members.

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Clean water:  water tanks, water wells, a water lorry to deliver water to remote locations, and hand-washing stations.

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Self-help groups: Self-help groups and women’s groups are supported to promote independence. 

 

Humanitarian programs: Emergency response assistance in times of severe distress such as prolonged drought and famine.

 

Employment: a variety of full and part-time employment opportunities as well as tourism enterprises,

including furniture craftsmanship, construction, organic farming, guides, porters, and other micro-business ventures to support the camp as well as provide income to our communities and families.

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Long-term sustainable projects: small business through microloans and infrastructure are provided.

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Economic and Social Center:  Sabache is not just a business — it is a center of support and development for our people. 

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               welcome to Sabache — we look forward to meeting you and we hope you enjoy your time with us!

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