Salami Koriata comes from a family of seven, four boys and three girls. He was married in 2011 and has five children of his own. Thanks to his employment at Enonkishu Conservancy in the Maasai Mara, Salami's two daughters, Sianoi (6) and Naisianoi (8 mos) and three sons, Seiyalel (10), Teketi (3) and Rupare (2), are able to attend school. Salami is very proud of the fact that his children are attending school and hopes for a bright future that was unavailable to him when he was growing up.
Growing up, Salami was a very good herder. In fact his father kept him home from school so that he could herd the family’s livestock. By the time Salami was married at age 19, the Enonkishu Conservancy was just being formed.
Thanks to his work at Enonkishu, Salami can now support not only his children but also his five youngest siblings, one of whom has just finished secondary school. Enonkishu enabled him to assist with school fees to give his siblings an opportunity that he never had. He is the only breadwinner in his family and if the Conservancy didn’t exist, he would be struggling to make ends meet by farming alone. His neighbours respect his profession and the fact that he takes care of his family.
Today, Salami recognises the similarities in herding livestock and looking out for wildlife as a ranger. He feels that being a ranger is a lot more selfless than herding. The wildlife, if looked after, will remain for generations after to appreciate. On the other hand, livestock is more like a type of currency: it comes and it goes.
Thanks to the funds raised by For Rangers, Salami Koriata was able to keep his status as a breadwinner for the family even during a lack of revenue from tourism during the pandemic. The funding helped Enonkishu Conservancy to maintain their daily operations by conducting regular patrols and collecting data, as well as providing the extra benefit of the opportunity for rangers to learn English.
During 2020, your donations and fundraising helped contribute a total of $20,000 to support Salami and his colleagues at Enonkishu Conservancy. This grant helped to pay for rangers' wages ($6,330), vehicle fuel and maintenance ($4,400), rations ($1,620), rebuilding of a camp after floods washed it away ($2,000), radio batteries ($150), solar power maintenance ($1,000) and communications (airtime and internet etc.) ($4,500).
Thank you all so much.
Photo credits: Salami Koriata, Enonkishu Conservancy.