Where Big Life’s rangers are stationed, there are no restaurants, no pizza delivery, nor many grocery stores. Meal planning for 340+ rangers in the bush is no small feat.

Big Life rangers primarily work from outposts, which means that they prepare their own breakfast, lunch, and dinner on-the-go, out in the field, without the help of a fully-stocked kitchen.

A typical breakfast consists of chai, uji (a fermented porridge made from cornmeal), leftover ugali (cornmeal cooked with water to a thick consistency), or chapatis (thin pancakes) with sugar. Lunch is almost always a big bowl of rice and beans. There’s another round of chai in the afternoon. Then dinner is likely ugali eaten together with a meat and vegetable stew or Sukuma wiki (collard greens cooked with other vegetables).

To get food out to remote outposts, dry goods are purchased in bulk, then divided out at headquarters, and delivered by truck once each month.

The monthly food order for 340+ rangers is immense:

• 1.56 tons of corn flour
• 1.3 tons of rice
• 1.04 tons of soy beans
• 1,642 lbs sugar
• 1,080 lbs cooking fat
• 771 lbs powdered milk
• 771 lbs wheat flour
• 595 lbs salt
• 67 packs of stock cubes
• 119 lbs tea leaves

Rangers also receive a group stipend for meat and fresh vegetables, which they determine how to spend. Unfortunately, food costs in Kenya have risen sharply this year as a result of inflation and a worsening drought. What used to cost $18,000/month for ranger food and supply rations has risen sharply to $27,000/month.

Inflation is a global issue and is likely affecting everyone, but if you have the ability and desire to help, we would be incredibly grateful. Please support our rangers and join in the work to save wildlife and wild lands by joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor. All members receive special perks, including 20% off merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Sharp-eyed Big Life supporters will have seen Richard Bonham and Samar Ntalamia on several national news channels in Kenya this week. This is because Big Life has just celebrated the opening of a new girls’ dormitory at Inkoisuk Primary School, located just a few kilometres from Big Life’s HQ in Kajiado county. After raising close to $80,000 USD from donors and supporters, the newly constructed 96-bed dormitory will ensure that these girls will no longer have to travel long distances to receive a proper education, making it far safer for them to do so.

Some of the girls who will be staying in the dormitory described how they felt about it:

Payiaton Kiariandi, 13, explained, “I am very excited and relieved to be staying in this new dormitory because I used to have to cycle to school every day which would take 3 hours each way. School finishes at 17:30 and I would have to cycle home in the dark. It was very scary at times because I had to cycle along the main road and there were lots of fast cars and animals around. Now I don’t have to worry about that so I can concentrate on my education, as it is something that is very important to me.”

Her enthusiasm was echoed by Veronica Nailantei, 14, “I am looking forward to staying in the new dormitory because I will be much closer to my teachers, which means I will greatly improve my studies. I want to become a nurse and now that I can live at school, I am confident I will do well in my exams.”

Grace Kipres, 13, said, “I am also happy because now that we will be living in the dormitory, there will be far fewer girls getting pregnant, so we will be much more able to concentrate on our studies.” This is especially important considering Kajiado county ranks as one of the highest in Kenya for pregnancies between the ages of 10 – 17.

Samar Ntalamia, who manages Big Life’s education programs, concluded that, “The best way to secure the future of wildlife conservation on communal lands is to generate tangible economic benefits to the communities which host wildlife on their lands. The most effective way to empower local communities is by improving access to education through students’ scholarships, as well as improving the quality of education by supporting local schools.”

We are grateful to have collaborated on this project with The Elephant Foundation, and thankful to all the donors who were extraordinarily passionate about making this dorm a reality. Improving local community access to education is just one of the many ways Big Life upholds our core ethos: that if conservation supports the people, people will support conservation.

Photo: Josh Clay

(Payiaton Kiariandi on the left, Grace Kipres in the middle, and Veronica Nailantei on the right)

Big Life’s rangers are as committed to their families as they are to their work protecting their home, often at great sacrifice.

Some rangers are posted deep in the Chyulu Hills or on the opposite end of the ecosystem where phone signal is nonexistent and the journey home is arduous.  And while most of our rangers are from our area of operation, a few come from further away in other parts of Kenya.

Tom Kihoro is one who must travel far to see his family. As the Head Mechanic at Big Life Foundation, and he ensures that every single vehicle runs smoothly. His workshop team is so efficient that other organizations often come to Big Life for their repairs. His room at Big Life HQ is full of reminders of his family: photos and drawings by his daughters adorn the walls and the side of his wardrobe is marked with each of their heights as they have grown older.

“Living far away from my family is tough, and when my wife died in 2017, I found it extremely difficult to be there for my children. They live in Nakuru and go to school there, but it is a 12-hour round trip, and I was not sure how I could look after them as well as continue doing my job. However, Big Life supported me so much through it all, both financially and emotionally, which I will always be grateful for. I see my family every month or two and while my two eldest are adults now, I always make sure I am there for my youngest to take them to school at the beginning of term. It's the small things that matter.”

Please support rangers like Tom, and join in the work to save wildlife and wild lands today by joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor.  All Ranger Club members receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Photo: Josh Clay

Whether you’ve been watching Big Life from the sidelines or are an occasional supporter, we hope you’ll say “yes” to that question today. There is an unprecedented set of needs in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem as a severe drought ravages the land, wildlife, and local communities. This is happening at a time when the rising cost of food and fuel is squeezing our efforts to respond.

The Ranger Club is a group of thoughtful individuals who are committed to holistic conservation and donate monthly. Each additional Ranger Club member increases our chance of success during this challenging time.

It includes people like Betty from New York, who says: “I choose to direct my charitable giving to Big Life because of their holistic approach to conservation. They of course protect vanishing animal species (and who doesn't love elephants?), but more importantly, Big Life supports the humans who share that space with the animals, bettering their lives in so many ways, with schools, traveling clinics, and the Maasai Olympics.”

Another Ranger Club member, Alan from Massachusetts, says, “I came across Big Life Africa a few years ago. I love how transparent they are with their financial spending. I have been a supporter since the day I researched the organization and discovered how much good they do for both the animals and the community.”

Big Life’s Ranger Club members ensure that funding for wildlife conservation is available day in, day out.

Please join in the work to save wildlife and wild lands today by joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor.  All Ranger Club members receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Photo: James Suter