Reflections: Grumeti Fund’s Impactful Year

Picture this: a baby elephant reuniting with its mother after enduring days with a wire snare around its neck, a young girl pursuing her dreams without menstrual limitations, and the transformation of once-bare ecosystems where wildlife now thrives. These are not fleeting moments but a testament to the remarkable year experienced at Grumeti Fund. Your steadfast support, dear donor and friend, has nurtured hope in the heart of the Western Serengeti, and the fruits of our shared journey are blossoming beautifully.

Wildlife De-snaring: A Collective Effort Against a Silent Threat

Remember those childhood nightmares where you’re ensnared in something you can’t escape? Now imagine that for a magnificent creature like an elephant or a majestic giraffe with a wire snare around its neck. That’s the grim reality of silent traps that steal freedom and even lives. However, this year, we haven’t let the shadows win.

Our conservation management, antipoaching, and relationships department teams have confronted this issue head-on, collaborating with other remarkable teams from TAWA and TANAPA. Picture game scouts equipped with cutting-edge technology like night goggles and super-powered sniffer dogs, all working together to track down and remove these deadly traps.

While game scouts carefully remove these snares, local communities continue awareness campaigns about the dangers of snares. Hundreds of snares met their match! It wasn’t just about removing metal traps; it was about untangling fear and restoring freedom to the animals who call the greater Serengeti ecosystem home. Your support fueled this mission, and together, we’ve given wildlife a sigh of relief and a clearer path to thrive.

Community Champions: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

We haven’t just protected wildlife; we’ve empowered communities to safeguard their own future. Through training workshops and guiding programs, we’ve assisted locals in turning their skills and passions into sustainable businesses. From retail shopkeepers to soap and yogurt makers, from street vendors to businesswomen and businessmen, these enterprises are flourishing like wildflowers in the dry season.

Your support has nurtured these seeds of opportunity, and now, communities are thriving. These entrepreneurs have harnessed their creativity and resourcefulness, transforming their small ventures into thriving businesses. The impact of these initiatives extends beyond economic growth; they have fostered a sense of pride within the communities.

Barrier Breakers: Re-defining Girl Power

In a community where a girl child is marginalised, we transformed the lives of hundreds of girls through girls’ empowerment sessions this year. No single day of education is stolen from a girl who attended our girls’ empowerment session due to shame or the discomfort of menstrual limitations.

We conducted sessions where girls learned about menstrual hygiene, using reusable sanitary pads, and understanding their bodies with pride. No more hiding in corners or missing precious school days. These sessions are safe spaces, filled with giggles and whispers of encouragement, where girls uplift each other and discover their inner strength.

But it’s not just about girls talking to girls. We know true change requires inclusivity, so we brought boys into the circle too. Through interactive activities and open conversations in the girls’ empowerment through boys’ sessions, they learn to be allies, challenge harmful stereotypes, and celebrate the achievements of their female classmates. It’s about building a future where girls and boys walk together, their voices rising in unison, and their potential unlimited by outdated traditions and cultural practices.

This year, your donations made a significant difference. You were there for every rescued elephant, every empowered girl, and every thriving community adjacent to the Ikorongo-Grumeti concession. But our mission is far from over. Now, we invite you to be a part of the mission in 2024. Your donation, no matter the size, can fuel the engine of change.

Thank you for being a vital part of our journey.