Welcome and thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page - I greatly appreciate it!

Many of you know that in October of 2019, I will embark on a self funded 100 km trek across the Northern Kenyan Mathews range, which is an area of untouched wilderness that stakes its claim as one of Kenya's remotest regions. Our team is comprised of 17 women who will unite from various parts of the globe under the auspices of Her Planet Earth - a non-profit global women's advocacy movement that inspires and stands for gender equality and environmental conservation (you can read more about their extraordinary work on www.herplanetearth.com). As such, our team and Her Planet Earth aim to raise USD 150,000 and awareness for our charity partner's (Conservation International CI) projects focused on the advancement and economic empowerment of women and girls in northern Kenya.

For over 30 years Conservation International has worked to protect nature with cutting-edge science, innovative policy and global reach. They deliver conservation efforts designed to empower communities, develop alternative livelihoods, address gender imbalances, improve access to education, health and water, as well as to improve the management of range-lands and wildlife ecosystems.

With limited access to education, an average of 8 children per mother and daily chores that include walking up to 10 miles to fetch water, opportunities for women in this landscape are sparse. Women are often regarded as subordinate and as property of men. Leadership and ownership of assets such as cattle and land is considered a male entitlement and women are rarely engaged in decision-making. It is commonplace for girls to be married from the age of 11; and female genital mutilation is still widely practiced, despite being illegal in Kenya. The cultural dynamics of early marriage, child rearing and household chores deprives girls of a chance to pursue education, which acts as an additional barrier to future employment and opportunity.

Our all-female team is 100% self funded, to ensure that 100% of all the donations collected are attributed to and used to benefit Kenya's women and young girls; to give them a voice and provide a platform for their education, development of sustainable enterprises and family livelihoods. 

To help you understand what will your donation be attribute to, I've highlighted below a few indicative funding examples relating to some of the work being done to encourage women’s leadership and empowerment in this culturally complex, fragile and ecologically important landscape.

• A little girl's school bursary for a month is USD 83
• A female ranger's salary for a month is USD 241
• A female elephant keeper's salary for a month is USD 230
  
• A two-day bead-work training workshop for 30 women, which will equip them with the skills to earn a living is USD 550
• The cost of an orphaned elephant for a month is USD 1667

Thank you for reading my letter and thank you for your generosity towards this wonderful cause. Your financial contribution will tangibly impact a young girl's education or contribute towards the development of women who are less fortunate than us. It is a true privilege for me to be able to impact and change lives this way!

With warm wishes,

Ana