Earth Unveiled: Discover, Analyze, Act

Prologue: The Awakening

The first time I truly “saw” the Earth was when I interacted with kids during a nature safari at Mlango Moja along the Great Northern Corridor. Behind the beautiful smiles, giggles, and anticipating eyes of young kids perusing the Komba magazine by the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya was a visible gap of wildlife and environmental conservation knowledge. Yet, their stories were sharp and vivid. They told me about the chicks of birds hanging helplessly from branches after trees in the forest were cut down. They spoke of how they could no longer find hares to chase because the grass had thinned out and the land lay bare. These young stars were sad, but they were hopeful. Hopeful that the forest would come back someday—probably while they were still children.

That moment stayed with me. It didn’t end with the safari. It sparked something larger—a call to mobilize, to educate, and to act. Earth unveiled itself not as a distant cause, but as something intimately tied to the dreams of children and the health of entire communities.

Discover – The Roots of Action

After Mlango Moja, I began training learners on environmental conservation. I visited schools, held workshops, and introduced students to concepts that had once seemed abstract—like ecosystems, biodiversity, and the importance of native species. Over time, I saw a pattern: these learners were eager to learn but had little access to structured, relevant, and empowering conservation education.

That realization led me to my current journey with the Africa Climate Environment Foundation (ACEF). As a conservation educator and mobilizer, I now work with schools, wildlife clubs, and community groups to enroll learners and nature enthusiasts in a program we call Conservation Beyond Borders.

This initiative was born from a simple idea: the triple planetary crisis - biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change does not recognize any boundaries, and it's claws are being felt too deep. A more powerful revolution needed to be empowered. Conservation Beyond Borders is a multi-level course that blends African ecological knowledge, field-based learning, cross-border collaboration, and leadership training to prepare the next generation of conservation advocates. From Africa to Asia, focusing on the shared challenges and joint solutions needed to protect our region’s forests, rangelands, oceans, wildlife and cultural norms is critical.  

Analyze – Why Education Matters

The more I worked on this program, the more I saw how educational inequality contributes directly to environmental degradation. When communities lack access to conservation knowledge, they become vulnerable to misinformation, exploitation, and short-term economic traps that destroy ecosystems for temporary gain.

Ecosystems in Africa are under constant threats from climate change, overexploitation of natural resources, limited or no education awareness by local communities, lack of policy enforcement, financing and capacity gaps. Elephants are losing migratory routes. Rhinos are increasingly cornered into isolated parks. Every illegal fishing activity, pollution and boat accident is bringing down the numbers of the endangered sea turtles- the very symbols of harmony in the blue waters. Conservation can no longer be siloed within ivory towers or confined to elite forums. It must become communal, accessible and shared.

Conservation Beyond Borders is our response to this reality. This curriculum is neatly woven in the fabrics of science and traditional knowledge, combining rigorous biology and ecology with traditional knowledge systems. Students learn about community development, wildlife tracking, anti-poaching strategies, habitat restoration, and even environmental policy—across international lines and in real-world settings while learning on philanthropy by taking action through self-discovery.

One of our students, Jepkazi, a 16-year-old from Kamangu said during an ecological trip, "This isn’t just a course. It’s a way to know the world better.” Her story is one of many.

Act – Mobilizing the Movement

My role is to mobilize. I travel from village to city, from school to the open-air market, planting seeds of curiosity and commitment. Sometimes I speak to a classroom of uniformed students. Other times, I chat with young children under a tree in the neighborhood, telling them about lions, sea turtles, corridors, and why our rivers matter. Then I tell them about the course—and how they could be part of it.

We’ve had cohorts from China and are working on partnerships with international universities. Some join through wildlife clubs while some are passionate about nature and just want to learn more - the course is hands- on and I bet that it's fun!

Each cohort begins with a physical or virtual exchange, where the trainers and learners meet, share local conservation challenges, and begin mapping joint action. Then come in-person field visits—guided treks, community conservation visits, game drives and boat rides, wildlife tracking and data interpretation, reporting and storytelling sessions.

One of the most impactful activities is the “species storytelling” segment. Students choose a local animal or plant species and trace its lifecycle, challenges, and cultural symbolism. Then they tell that story—in journals and publications. These narratives become part of our digital archive, which we use as feedback mechanisms to understand if the objectives of the program have been met.

There’s power in seeing conservation not just as activism, but as identity.

Beyond Borders, Beyond Silence

Working with ACEF has shown me that the future of conservation lies in connectivity—not just of ecosystems, but of minds. In a world where borders divide countries, wildlife tells us a different story. Wildebeest migrate from Tanzania to Kenya. Elephants move across Uganda and Rwanda. Turtles navigate the continent from Kenya to South Africa.

Our course teaches that we must also move—across ideas, disciplines, and communities.

But the bigger challenge is political will. Many conservation strategies in Africa remain fragmented, underfunded, or donor-driven with little grassroots involvement. That’s where we come in. By equipping youth and communities with both knowledge and networks, we’re building local capacity to hold institutions accountable and drive indigenous conservation agendas.

We’re also working to integrate Conservation Beyond Borders into national, regional and international school curricula.  The goal is to ensure that every student in Africa and the rest of the world gets a chance to engage meaningfully with nature—not just in books, but in forests, savannahs, and wetlands.

In the words of one young cohort, “Before, I thought animals were just in books. Now I know they live near us—and need us.”

 Earth Unveiled, Story by Story

The Earth continues to unveil itself—not in grand declarations, but in quiet conversations with students, in shared meals with rangers, in dusty classrooms where kids draw birds with charcoal on cardboard. My role isn’t to lecture—it’s to connect, invite, and mobilize.

I’ve seen the change. In the spark of a learner who realizes their community is a habitat worth protecting. In the resolve of a teen who reports illegal logging. In the joyful pride of a youth club that installs their first waste segregation bins.

Environmental journalism gave me the lens. Conservation education gave me the mission. And working with Africa Climate Environment Foundation has given me the platform to bridge the two.

Conservation Beyond Borders isn’t just a program. It’s a call to recognize that while politics may divide us, ecosystems do not. That while not everyone will become a biologist or ranger, everyone can be a steward.

So here I am—still walking, still learning, still mobilizing. The Earth keeps revealing itself, story by story. And I’ll keep helping others see it too.