About this project

In May, with your help, my camera and I will be flying all the way from Boston, to the summit of Mount O’Lolokwe in Kenya. Here's why:

The Lion Conservation Fund (http://lionconservationfund.org) supports projects that protect the habitats of lions, while improving the lives of people sharing their environment in Africa.

One of their groundbreaking community projects is Sabache:

Set in a private nature reserve spread over 500 square miles of Kenya’s last remaining wilderness frontier, Sabache (http://sabache.org) is more than just a beautiful tented safari camp. It is a model ecotourism project that strives to show “an intact habitat is worth more than one developed”. Sabache is a pioneer in sustainable community-based ecotourism. They employ native Samburu tribesmen, allowing them to support themselves in an environmentally sustainable, culturally enriching way. The Samburu have suffered horrific human rights violations, and the support of Sabache has helped them, along with the wildlife around them, to thrive.

This is where I come in.

The LCF needs help telling their success story to the world: By promoting a self-sustained environment for both the wildlife and communities, they start a cycle of support that allows each group to thrive together and independently. It's a triumph in the way we look at protecting our world that needs to be documented.

I will be traveling to Kenya for two weeks, where I will stay at Sabache with the Samburu, and photograph the way this program has nourished the tribes, and prides, of Northern Kenya. My images will be used for marketing, education, and future projects, allowing the LCF and Sabache to tell their story, and have a bigger and better impact on the world.

And this is where you come in!

A project like this is an undertaking, both in scope and in funds. I need to fly to Kenya, support my stay at the camp for two weeks with minimal financial impact, and rent equipment to capture a large amount of digital media in a very remote area.

If you choose to support us, I'll thank you in the best way I know how- with professional prints from my trip! I'll send a postcard from Kenya to every donation over $10. I will be producing a high-quality, hardcover coffee table book with my images, and major supporters will be included in the dedication section, and receive a signed copy. If you're in the Boston area, talk to me about options for a presentation to your group or organization upon my return!

The LCF and Sabache selflessly and brilliantly help others to help themselves. Will you help me to help them? They, and I, thank you! :)



**If we happen to be generously funded beyond our asking, all over-funds will be directly donated to the LCF.

I'll update my progress in the Updates here (ask me and my cam questions there!), and on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#/mariahgalecreative...