Do it for Dominic
By Charlie • August 19, 2008 • 10 commentsI can’t imagine staying at a hotel in the US, Europe, or the Far East without being able to plug in and broadcast (via 10,000 Birds of course) a stream of words and photos to a waiting world - I’m exaggerating of course, but that’s what I like to pretend to myself sometimes - and I must admit I take having the internet available to me whenever I want it pretty much for granted. In today’s 24/7, broadband-connected, wired-up, tech-savvy world it’s pretty easy for us “first-worlders” to forget that in some parts of planet earth the internet is something that is only available to the relatively wealthy and dial-up over unstable telephone lines is still the norm…
A few weeks ago we launched a conservation project (that we fully intend to bang on about for a good few months yet!) called the Small African Fellowship for Conservation, that is aiming to fund the work of a young Kenyan called Dominic Kamau Kimani (photo left). I know full well - because I wrote the post - that Dominic comes from a small village in the Nairobi highlands but I also know that he’s travelled overseas a fair bit (his CV is quite remarkable given his background). I think the contradictions between local:global had skewed my appreciation of just how important he might feel getting his work written about on a blog would be, because I received an email from him this weekend (sent from the Museum that co-ordinates his conservation work) that really brought things into focus.
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Dear Charlie,
thank you very much for your correspondence. i’m really happy for the chance i have been offered and the start of realising my dreams of educating our community. this is the first time i have appeared in the internet and thank you Charlie for putting me in the world map. i assure you of a real commitment and very good work, i am looking forward working with you in creating the awareness of this Beautiful bird and the entire biodiversity. believe me not, this would be the best approach especially to the farmers who may not be aware that their farms is a ‘gold mine’ = Sharpe’s Longclaw. i am already making plans for the proposed education awareness i am sure things will work perfectly, its very good to see that Museums is very supportive in this matter, this will be a chance to reveal to the farmers the findings of the research work done by Dr. Muchai, Kariuki, Luka and myself. i will keep in touch all the time, feel free to contact always, i will only be in field from next week for two weeks. i can’t wait to see see you. welcome again to Kenya and Kinangop in Particular. |
Making this project work really matters to me - but it matters to Dominic far, far more. He is watching his beloved birds being pushed towards extinction, it’s his homeland being ploughed up or buried under eucalypts, and it’s his people that he desperately wants to reach.
I feel incredibly privileged to be trying to help him, and I’m going to appeal to every colleague and blogger out there to help too. Bloggers aren’t wealthy individuals (none of the ones I know are anyway), but what we do have in abundance is the power of ‘reach’ - so please consider linking to or posting about this project on your blog or website. I’m doing what I can to raise the money that Dominic needs to do his work (I’ve a feeling he’d do it for nothing, but he’s not sitting on financial reserves that allow him to do that!), but to be honest it’s not easy: I do feel strongly though that every time someone else reads out about Dominic and the Sharpe’s Longclaw there’s just a chance they may respond…and you genuinely never know who’s reading (Mr Gates, are you by any chance online at the moment, sir?)
There are an awful lot of people striding the blogosphere doing wonderful things, but there are also an awful lot more who deserve to be heard but whose access to the net is severely limited.
Dominic is one of them. So, go on, please “Do it for Dominic” and spread the word (and of course if you want to Chip In and donate a dollar as well, I won’t be stopping you!)…
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I am happy to see you helping this young man. However, the bird extinction is not just hapenning in Africa, but in our own United States. In fact, there was just an article in our local paper this morning, that more and more bird santuaries are being destroyed here, as we make way for more condo’s, business and homes. This is happening over the entire U.S.
Margaret, of course it’s not just Africa - over one-tenth of all bird species are in danger of extinction! Species throughout the rainforests of South America are disappearing almost as soon as they’re being discovered, we’re losing vast areas of East Asia’s forests to grow palm oil threatening dozens of species, 20 out of 22 albatross species are heading towards extinction because of the way we fish…the list just goes on and on. The point is though most of these problems require a global consensus to solve (and a change of government in many cases), but in Dominic’s case for a very small amount of money we can support someone who can make a difference at a community level and really influence his peers. Personally I believe we have the choice of saying “There’s nothing we can do” or we look at the problems, be realistic, and say “Here’s something we CAN do”. 10,000 Birds is not in a position to change the world (yet) but we can fight to support “this young man” - and that’s what we intend to do. I’m sorry if you don’t think the project’s relevant to you, but - again - my personal belief is that we’re all part of the same world and everything is relevant to me, to you, and to everyone else.
I did not mean the project was not revelant to me, only that this is a world wide problem. Sorry if you mis understood.
Misunderstood? With the greatest respect, Margaret, perhaps if you’d written “I am happy to see you helping this young man and I’ll be glad to join in. However…”, I may have had more sympathy with your comment…We write extensively about the problems bedevilling America already, and you must surely admit that what you wrote appeared to be designed to move the argument away from Africa and back to the US - a very, very rich country with a population that could win almost every conservation battle put in front of them if the majority could only be moved enough to bother.
Hi Charlie, it was interesting to read about Dominic and I wish him all the very best. A donation is on it’s way to you for the Sharpe’s Longclaw appeal. We need more people like Dominic.
Dominic - if you get to read this, all the very best to you and Good Luck!
Cheers VB
My husband and I have been able to travel many places, fortunately, and we’ve met inspired folks like Dominic — I’m delighted to have an opportunity to help him.
There are so many interested people out there in wonderful places that deserve a hand up — I commend your efforts in focusing nature blogging efforts towards that!
Here in the U.S., anyone with initiative and determination generally has access to an education; we’ve haven’t found that to be the case in many other places that we’ve traveled to.
Thanks for the opportunity - it’s really about helping Dominic and all of his/her counterparts around the world. That’s the future of conservation/restoration, whether for birds, plants, insects, or habitat.
Hi VB - I’m hoping to fly out to Nairobi in October to meet Dominic, Luca, et al and I’ll definitely pass on your best wishes. (Good to hear from you again, by the way!)
Lisa, I am in complete agreement with everything you wrote. I really do feel that if there’s to be any chance at all of making conservation work succeed it’ll be because local people want it to - and you’re so right, the opportunities and the resources that we in the ‘west’ take for granted just aren’t there for so many dedicated and passionate people all around the world. Thanks so much for commenting, for donating, and for your support.
[...] it for Dominic The Small African Fellowship for Conservation, a project conceived by 10,000 Birds, wants to get the word out about a young Kenyan [...]
[...] the Small African Fellowship for Conservation. Any amount (the suggested donation is $1) will help. Do it for Dominic, for the Sharpe’s Longclaw, and for [...]