As an alternative to income from tourism, we are now introducing an “Adopt-an-Acre” plan whereby contributors can adopt an acre of land in the conservancy for a year through a donation to the Wildlife Habitat Trust which will control a fund that helps to pay the staff wages until the camps re-open, as well as the land leases so that the families continue receiving the rents and the conservancies can continue to exist.
Recently many of the Porini Camps guests have asked how they might help to provide some financial contributions so that the local people can continue receiving an income during these difficult times when the COVID-19 pandemic has closed down tourism and we have now come up with our “Adopt-an-Acre” plan as a way of funding the payments to the community at a time when there is no adequate tourism income.
Gamewatchers Safaris pays directly for leasing 42,500 acres of land in conservancies in Amboseli and the Mara, providing an income of almost US$1.5 million to the communities in rents and wages. This means that in a year, every acre of conservancy land supported by us is creating a protected habitat for wildlife and also generates $35 going straight to the local people with $20 going to payments for land rents and $15 to wages of staff working in the conservancies.
Gamewatchers are asking their friends and customers to support our conservation mission and to help to keep the payments flowing into the communities by adopting one or more acres for a year through a donation of $35 per acre.
As mentioned we have 42,500 acres to be adopted!
To adopt 1 acre for a year is $35, while 5 acres for a year is $175, 10 acres is $350 or for 30 acres the donation is $1050, with $450 going to wages and $600 going to the families.
As a special incentive, anyone adopting 30 acres or more will receive a credit from Gamewatchers Safaris for the same amount donated, to be used for payment of a stay at any of the Porini Camps in 2023 and 2024. So a donation of US$1050 to adopt 30 acres will receive a travel credit worth US$1050 towards the cost of a safari in 2023 or 2024 staying at a Porini camp in any of the conservancies, while adopting 100 acres for US$3500 will receive a credit of US$3500.