Journey through Shompole conservancy.

The conservancy is in Magadi division and can be accessed either through Loika gate at the southern end of Lake Magadi, or via the Olkiramatian conservancy, branching off at Daraja center, next to river Ewaso Nyiro .
Shompole lodge is at the end of Ngurumani escarpment and about 5 km from Lake Natron on the Kenya/Tanzania border.
The descent from the lodge is rather steep and gives way to plain grasslands, the play ground of the big five interspersed with bush land and level with the airstrip that is at times submerged during the rainy seasons.
We were greeted by zebras, but the sight that was most welcoming and adorable was the giraffe, towering above the rest in the Shompole group ranch.
The road through the conservancy is typical of all the parks in Kenya, dusty on dry weather and unbearably muddy on rainy conditions.
The lodge is a joint venture between an investor and the local community.

wedding and a Maaasai dance

Oloibortoto, a remote and sleepy maasai village in Ngurumani, yesterday erupted in song and dance during the wedding ceremony at mzee Olentetu's manyatta.
it was all system go as the young and old joined together in their colorful regalia's for the occasion.
The traditional dances did not disappoint either.

Market squeeze

The market crunch pinch has finally been felt in the remote town of Magadi. The GIANT Magadi soda plant, which has enjoyed a monopoly status for such a long time, has silenced its engines and the white powdery smoke,that bellows and rises above the bright HOT Magadi sky is no more.
Workers have been sent on compulsory leave,this will have major repercussion to the economy of the area as the Magadi Soda Co. is the major employer to the all Maasai populations,either in contractual capacity or permanent basis.
Will we also be witnessing a bail out in Kenya soon?

Best &Worst

I guess it is not too late to reflect on the decisions i made in the past two years with Lorika as a social-entrepreneur.I will be candid with the reflections as much as possible.

Worst mistakes:

1.Failed to understand market environment (especially nonprofit fundraising)
2.Did not learn from other people's failures (only successes - wish there were a book on failures in social entrepreneurship?)
3.Unable to secure critical feedback (only received positive feedback, later learned business plan unrealistic)
4.Being too "corporate-y" in the beginning -- designing frameworks, plans, etc. 5.Expecting too much from the beneficiaries without giving them proper time and training.

Best decisions:

1.networking with people smarter than and different than me.
2.Carefully and thoughtfully planning and structuring all activities and business processes.
3.Sought lots of feedback on idea
4.Communicating in simple yet compelling ways: things can actually be interesting

I hope to be kind to myself in future.

Sunshine days

The weather never changes at Ngurumani.It is ever HOT,HOT and HOT again.It can be chilly and overcast on few occasions(very few this year).From the minute of waking up to the getting onto (because it is too hot to get into) the beds, under the mosquito nets with the fans on full blast(for the lucky few), it is hot.
Rantana and Kapure complained that you started sweating the minute you stepped out of the shower,the first time they came visiting.
It's hard to describe the heat when you are new in the area.Heat that is almost tangible.
But in the moments of cold days,Caro,a friend who came visiting from Canada woke up wrapped in blankets when she returned back home and she longed for the enveloping, sensual, all-consuming heat of Ngurumani.