Brenda Sherburn, Director of Save World Draw, spent the second week of March with Action for Cheetahs in Kenya (ACK). Brenda is an artist and sculptor who created Save World Draw (saveworlddraw.org). The purpose of Save World Draw is to help underfunded conservation and human aid projects worldwide, particularly to help fund special items listed on their “wish lists” in order to complete their projects. To date, projects in China, Belize, Vietnam, Brazil, Alaska, and Africa have all received grants through her efforts. One of the ways that Save World Draw raises money is through childrens’ wildlife drawings, which are donated and sold to benefit the various wildlife of the conservation projects..

Brenda had previously been in contact with Actions for Cheetahs in Kenya (which appears on her website), and as she had planned to be in Africa to assist the Daraja educational program for young women, she gladly arranged to visit the Cheetah project while there. She resides in Marin County, California.

Brenda writes:

I camped in a tent on the farm of Lumumba Mutiso, Community Liaison Officer for ACK. His family showed great hospitality, from the bucket shower of warm water given me every day, to the hot tea his wife made for me every morning. I stayed in a spectacular area and I could see Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya from my tent on clear days.

Lumumba arranged for me to meet Wallace Isaboke, the Education and Vocation Director who coordinated a Bee Keeping Workshop. I met the excited bee keepers and students, eager for information to improve their livelihood. In this part of Kenya, bee-keeping provides an alternative source of income for some farmers, prevents deforestation, and preserves habitat for wildlife. Hopefully donations will greatly improve their practice.

Lumumba provided two working experiences for me in the public schools. The first school I visited was Ngaamba Primary, std 7. It was just a couple of miles away from Lumumba’s farm. The teacher, Ms E. David, was delighted that we visited and helped us greatly in the classroom. Thirty-five students participated and donated their drawings to Save World Draw. The following day, Mary Wykstra, Director of ACK, drove me to visit Kavuko Primary, std 6E. Forty-two children participated in the drawing project there.

While I spent time in the schools, Mary was attempting to capture a cheetah for collaring. She tried to trap one in a 150 lb cage. She and Peter, a volunteer from Canada, invented a mechanical goat that moved its head and played recorded sounds to help lure the cheetah. She set up the trap and I was able to snap a few pictures before I left. When ACK collars a cheetah, they will be able to track it, collect scat, and determine the cheetah’s range. The scat should reveal information about the cheetah’s diet, and levels of stress hormones which will indicate the overall health of the cheetah. My tour ended and I had to leave before seeing if ACK was able to trap and collar a cheetah.

While in Kenya, on behalf of the fund I bought shoes for the school kids who could not afford them, and I distributed pieces of bread to needy children. By the end of summer, Save World Draw will create posters and cards from the artwork of the children, and sell them to benefit ACK. A few dollars goes a long way in Kenya. Please take a look at the wish list ACK provides in our guestbook and see if you can help. http://www.saveworlddraw.org/advancedguestbook