Dusty roads, wonderful people, frustrating power and internet, hyena calls around the camp at night and great new adventures and learning experiences all combined to make the 2026 field school a memorable one. The group of 20 students, 19 from UVic and 1 from Tanzania were led in the program by professors Crystal Tremblay and Bruce Downie with Emmanuel Ole Kileli as Teaching Assistant. The Kesho Trust also provided resource and support staff throughout, Peter Millanga and Julius Paringo.
The two course structure, while integrated by necessity, was delivered in to field camps. The first course, Conservation in a Crowded World, was the focus of our stay in a tented camp in Randilen WMA, adjacent to Tarangire National Park. During the six days in camp the students visited some of the Maasai villages whose land makes up the WMA, met with the residents to learn about living in a Conservation area and living with wildlife. At the camp they had time to reflect, discuss issues of community based conservation and meet with the staff of the WMA. They also had a day on safari in Tarangire along with evening walks and drives in Randilen itself.
The second course, Geographies of Sustainable Development, was the prime focus of our stay in Elerai Culture Camp. As in Randilen, the students visited each of the sub-villages to meet with different groups of people (leaders, elders, women, youth) to learn about their lives and struggles associated with a remote rural community. Reflections, discussions and preparing assignments relating to their visits, along with a good amount of social time, rounded out the stay.
This quick overview is only the beginning. We will be posting more outcomes from the field school in the coming weeks along with images and impressions. Stay tuned.
