The Centre for Education in Sustainability is an integral part of Elsa Conservation Trust. Established in 1989 it keeps the Adamsons’ dream alive through conservation education. Here history connects with the future as conservation continues on the site that saw the Adamsons revolutionise our attitudes to wild animals and warned the world that unless it protects their habitats, many of the most magnificent species would be extinct there within a few decades.
Sadly the huge herds of elephants they would have watched are a fraction of the size they used to be and there are many more signs of their warnings being realised.
At the centre we run a wide range of educational programmes for teachers, pupils, students, and community leaders. Empowering them with the knowledge, support and desire to drive change that will protect their country and all the species that live in it.
CESs vision for the future is to expand environmental education and sustainability studies and develop new programmes which will help deal with the emerging environmental challenges facing Kenya today. The Centre has good reason to celebrate more than 25 years of practical environmental education and has recently published a ten page report summarising some of its achievements which can be downloaded here.
Last year around 15,000 young people ranging from Primary and Secondary schools to Universities, came to the centre for hands-on environmental education and CES can take pride in the fact that many of its former students are now in positions of authority and influence and still carry with them cherished memories of their time at Elsamere.
CES has been organising capacity building programmes for East African teachers since 2000 – well before the launch of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development ( 2005-2014). Over the last 15 years, approximately 3150 teachers and environmental/wildlife club patrons have undergone our Training of Trainers (ToTs) programme. A vital output of these ToTs are the action plans they prepare to implement in their schools and communities when they return.
Our Eco-Schools Outreach programme helps teachers and students to continue and expand their environmental activities when they are back in school
Elsamere’s tree nursery has been distributing around 5000 tree seedlings each year and once funding has been confirmed, plans to expand this programme aiming to plant a million trees in the Central Rift Valley through its Forests for the Future project over the next five years
Hosting researchers & international conferences: CES has become an popular destination for local and international researchers, workshops and conferences. Earthwatch, Kenya Safari Guides Association, Tropical Biology Association (TBA), UNEP and a number of overseas Universities have chosen Elsamere to run their courses
CES encourages twinning and has linked international schools with other less fortunate schools to share ideas, examples of good practice, and collaborative projects with each other. Examples include Rosslyn Academy children twinned with Longonot DEB primary school and Langalanga Primary School in Gilgil has been twinned with Eastington Primary School near Stroud,
Helping schools become centre of excellence: thanks to the enthusiasm of committed Head Teachers who have trained at CES, some schools have become shiny examples of conservation in action. Details of the work carried out at Langalanga Primary School, Wanyange Girls School, Uganda and Rubiri School, Naivasha can be found in our achievement report.
Working with communities: CES cares for people as well the wildlife and often the two are inextricably linked. Working with communities on waste management, composting and tree planting result in a more attractive and productive environment for both people and wildlife.