The Kesho Trust has three specific priorities. Organizations with projects that would promote any of these priorities are potentially suitable partners for The Kesho Trust. We welcome invitations from such organizations to create relationships that may lead to project funding and implementation.  Our partnerships are intended not only to realize immediate project goals and objectives but to sustain local conservation initiatives into the future.

Community-based Conservation

We wish to work towards improved conservation integral to sustainable natural environments including efforts to improve habitat protection for native species, sustaining natural energy and water flows within ecosystems and integrating human activity into environments rather than imposing it.

Typical project activities may include:

• mitigating environmental impacts of resource or land use activities
• improving systems of waste disposal
• enhancing habitat, e.g. riparian ecosystem management, native plant introduction
• developing community conservation policies and management practices

Economic Development

We wish to develop improved livelihoods in local communities based on principles of conservation and sustainability.

Typical project activities may include:

• implementing processes of sustainable forest management and use
• improving reliable water supply
• promoting the production of natural commodities, e.g. honey
• conducting community economic planning sensitive to and supportive of regional conservation
• encouraging the participation of local enterprises in the provision of materials, goods and services to the tourism industry
• developing eco-tourism opportunities
• promoting the development and provision of guiding services
• developing cultural tourism services
• providing logistical services and supplies to other tourism operators in and around protected areas

Conservation Education

We wish to strengthen public knowledge and awareness of the value of conservation, both within local communities and beyond.

Typical project activities may include:

• developing and implementing environmental awareness programs
• conducting conservation education programs
• implementing naturalist or guide training programs
• sponsoring community speaker programs
• planning and developing interpretive education centres
• engaging youth in nature and conservation
• promoting school exchanges, school conservation club activities and school visits to parks
• planning and hosting community days in parks
• conducting special events

Conservation awareness should be a part of all projects and the Kesho Trust will work to promote this approach.

A final dimension to the work of The Kesho Trust — given our geographic scope on different continents, countries and regions — is the immense value of cross-cultural sharing of information and experience. We will actively seek projects that can contribute to this cross fertilization. We believe that collaboration of this sort can make a significant contribution to local peoples and their capacity to make a difference in their own communities.