David Ngala

Hi,

My name is Caroline Lumosi, am glad to be joining Friends of Arabuko Sokoke Forest (FoASF) in the capacity of manager, my background is a degree in Environmental Science from Kenyatta University with emphasis on Natural resources management, I am eager to experience the wonders of Arabuko Sokoke Forest and what it has in store for me, am excited to be working with such a wonderful team and I must say it has been a real joy that I have been given such good reception even before I join the team.

I was previously volunteering at Kakamega forest another beautiful forest in the Western part of Kenya, am excited to bring with me the knowledge and experience I gained while working with the community members helping them to enhance their capacity in environmental matters as well as embracing ICT skills. I seem to be falling in love with Forests, I guess I will with Arabuko Sokoke Forest.

I am also excited as I have just completed a field training course on how to make community based conservation films- I just made a 15 minutes film on Eburru forest another great forest that is a fragment of Mau Complex, and I believe these skills will be used to help the community at Arabuko have a better perception of the forest and other natural resources that encompass the forest, this I believe is also a great tool towards conservation.

It will be a great honour to work along side with David Ngala, I have heard so much about him and am ready to learn under his guidance about Arabuko Sokoke Forest and I hope he will transfer the passion he has about the forest to me. I have met with Colin Jackson in Nairobi and he was able to brief me on FoASF and what FoASF has been doing so far, A Rocha staff have also been great! trying to help me feel more welcome and are kind enough to offer me temporary accommodation at Mwamba before I locate my own crib!

I am grateful to the generous donations made through this blog that has enabled me to come on board and help out steer FoASF. I am taking up the challenge to steer FoASF to foster environmental conservation at Arabuko Sokoke through community awareness and education, I need all the support possible as I turn this challenge into a great opportunity. I anticipate that this blog will be active and you are welcome to give your suggestions and views. Watch this space!!!

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Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest (FoASF) has, since it began in 1999, been pretty much run by volunteers other than having a Visitor Centre Assistant at the forest station to welcome visitors and explain what they can do in the forest - birding, walking, camping etc. Just a year ago we employed David Ngala who is the “main man” for this blog and who is passionate about the conservation of Arabuko-Sokoke. His job is ‘Conservation Officer’ but our struggle has been to really be able to channel his passion and fieldwork into something more structured and effective - simply for lack of time and resources amongst the FoASF Committee who have otherwise been doing the volunteering.

We are really thrilled, therefore, to have Caroline Lumosi joining us in August as the Manager for FoASF. The very generous donation from Nancy in April is what is allowing us to take Caroline on. It is a crucial position she will be filling as her job is to make all the wheels go round in the organisation and for things to really happen - to date they’ve been happening in fits and starts when we’ve had the time and space to do it.

I met Caroline in Nairobi on Sunday and had a long meeting with her explaining all about the ins and outs of the organisation. She’s currently finishing up some voluntary work in Kakamega forest in western Kenya and will go down to Watamu in the first week of August. She will be taking DAvid’s data he collects on illegal activity, mapping it and producing reports to circulate to stakeholders. She’ll also revive the ‘Friends’ scheme and help Mary at the Visitor Centre in her work. She’ll also be taking over the main updating of the blog - so watch this space!

A cut stump photographed by David using his new camera

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Tags: Arabuko-Sokoke forest