Education and Outreach

WildlifeDirect Field Lab

Nestled on the southern edge of Nairobi National Park, the WildlifeDirect Field Lab is a unique 30-acre wilderness dedicated to inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. Located in Emakoko, Kajiado County, the Field Lab borders Mbagathi River and is just 45 minutes from Nairobi city. This living outdoor classroom provides children with immersive, hands-on conservation education in one of Kenya’s most biodiverse landscapes. It plays a key role in our conservation education offerings as the first experience in nature for local children and their teachers. The Field Lab was established to give young learners the opportunity to connect deeply with nature through exploration, discovery, and practical learning experiences. It features diverse habitats including savannah grasslands, bushland, rocky outcrops, and riverine vegetation. Donated to WildlifeDirect in 2021, the land has been carefully preserved in its natural state to serve as a safe and inspiring environment for conservation education.

At the heart of the program is experiential learning. Children aged 7–14 participate in structured outdoor activities designed to build environmental awareness, leadership, and practical skills. Through guided nature walks, biodiversity studies, camping, habitat restoration, art, science, ornithology, ethnobotany, and cultural learning, students gain firsthand experience of the natural world while developing a lifelong appreciation for conservation.

The WildlifeDirect Field Lab is more than a learning site,  it is envisioned as Kenya’s first protected conservation area created specifically for children. Learners are encouraged to explore, ask questions, and develop stewardship values while working alongside trained staff, conservation experts, teachers, and mentors from the local community. The Lab also serves as a training and mentorship hub for teachers, coaches, citizen scientists, and conservation leaders.

The facility includes an eco-friendly Discovery Centre, which was formaly a Butterfly House donated by the Born Free Foundation, a kitchen, dining area, camp grounds, cinema, bush library, 2 teachers accommodation, media lab, staff accommodations, and secure electric fencing.

Nature Positive Kids Outreach Program

WildlifeDirect joined forces with the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and The Walt Disney Company to develop the National Geographic’s Team Sayari TV series and implement Nature Positive Kids outreach program targeting learners aged 7-12 years old in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. 

Team Sayari is a nature-based television program produced by Nairobi-based production company called White Rhino Films for National Geographic in Association with WildlifeDirect and is funded by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In the series, young presenters and field reporters from across the continent together with African experts in five countries explore, discover, learn about our environmental challenges and educate and inspire young viewers how to reduce their impact, protect and restore nature. Team Sayari aired every Saturday on National Geographic Wild (DStv 182, Starsat 221)  at 1:00 p.m.( EAT).

 The overall goal of the project is to inspire and catalyze behavioral change that will have a lasting impact on the conservation of species rich landscapes and generate meaningful economic development opportunities for communities in East Africa. 

Activities:

• Establishment of four conservation hubs across Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania
• Establishment of a network of 200 partner schools
• Engagement of over 12,000 school children in East Africa
• Development of complementary educational materials
• Provision of small grants to 79 schools to bolster their conservation efforts

WildlifeDirect partners with 3 conservation organizations based in Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania to implement the outreach project  in schools across East Africa. The three partners are Tanzania People and Wildlife, Oceans Alive Foundation and Prime Biodiversity Conservation organization.

To learn more about this program, reach out to our Education Team: teamsayari@wildlifedirect.org

Creating a Generation of Wildlife Warriors

WildlifeDirect’s signature Education and Outreach program, Wildlife Warriors Kids is an education program that introduces Kenyan children to endangered wildlife through a nationwide program targeting public primary schools.

Wildlife Warriors Kids

Through the program WildlifeDirect takes children between eight and twelve years old to the national parks and reserves in Kenya. WildlifeDirect hosts camping expeditions each year for select number of children where they learn about the environment, critically endangered species inhabiting the parks and the conservation efforts of scientists and communities in and around wild life.

Many children in Kenya, especially those in informal settlements, have never seen wildlife or been to any of our national parks and reserves. Wildlife Warriors  seeks to engage these children by developing learning materials such as research and activity books to educate children about different species of animals. Through citizen science, WildlifeDirect connects children to their wildlife and nature and inspires them to value and act to conserve it.  Through technology and science the children in turn nurture their desire to want to share this information with their peers, parents, teachers and larger community. The program’s aim is to create a generation of Wildlife Warriors; young advocates and champions of conservation who meaningfully work within their communities and contribute to sustainable and responsible solutions to matters effecting the environment, conservation and human wildlife conflict.

Publication of Books

WildlifeDirect is publishing wildlife books that allows children to learn about the different species of wildlife and what they can do to help conserve them. The project is still in its early stages and we are working with Storymoja who have already published the Wildlife Warrior Passport, Elephant Fact Book, Elephant Activity Book and Wildlife Warriors Teachers Guide.

Kids and Goats for Elephants

As part of citizen science approach to experiential learning, WildlifeDirect has launched an innovative called ‘Kids and Goats for Elephants’ led by Dr. Paula Kahumbu and Prof. Thure Cerling a distinguished professor from the University of Utah.

WildlifeDirect is engaging 450 students from M-PESA Foundation Academy in the collection of data which will entail analyzing the chemicals in goat’s hair to generate a map that will allow children to participate in forensic science and identify the source of seized ivory while learning chemistry, geography, geology, ecology, conservation, agriculture and climate change.