Comoros to Kenya: A trip to learn from fellow fishers in Kenya
The sea around Comoros has been the source of livelihood for Bahati Anli, and many like her in Comoros. She comes from a fishing community and is part of Maecha Bora, an all-women fishers association that leads conservation efforts. When...
Meet the communities using data to transform fisheries management
Blue Ventures and partner COMRED held the first community data feedback meeting with people from Kwale County in Kenya to validate fisheries catch and landing data collected from fisheries over three months. The activity was an eye-opener on how communities...
Improving community health to boost engagement in conservation
I sat down with Edith Ngunjiri, our Technical Advisor, Health-Environment Partnerships, to get her insights on the health-environment approach following the 15th anniversary of the Blue Ventures Safidy programme. The community health programme has integrated health activities within marine conservation...
Achieving conservation dreams by supporting teams
This post is the last series featuring some of the first marine conservation leaders taking part in the African Marine Conservation Leadership Programme that Blue Ventures and Maliasili started in 2020. They share their leadership journeys as part of the...
Banking on a brighter marine future
This post is the third series featuring some of the first marine conservation leaders taking part in the African Marine Conservation Leadership Programme that Blue Ventures and Maliasili started in 2020. They share their leadership journeys as part of the programme,...
Building connections to solve conservation issues
This post is the second series featuring some of the first marine conservation leaders taking part in the African Marine Conservation Leadership Programme that Blue Ventures and Maliasili started in 2020. They share their leadership journeys as part of the...
Nurturing leadership in African marine conservation
This is the first post in a series featuring some of the first marine conservation leaders participating in the African Marine Conservation Leadership Programme that Blue Ventures and Maliasili started in 2020. They share their leadership journeys as part of the...
Supporting conservation changemakers for people and nature at APAC
The first-ever African Protected Areas Congress (APAC) convened in Kigali, Rwanda, earlier this month to discuss the future of conservation in Africa. The five-day event brought together Indigenous peoples and local community representatives, governments, NGOs and the business sector to...
Kenyan communities trial ‘blue loans’ tied to marine conservation
Last year, communities in Kenya’s Kwale County approached our partner COMRED to ask how they could increase local participation in conservation efforts to manage coastal fisheries. Kwale’s coast stretches approximately 250km and is divided into 20 local fisheries management associations....
Somali to Kenya: A learning exchange to share knowledge and forge friendships
As we worked to finalise planning for this learning visit, we were unsure how it would turn out. After a year without guests, when COVID-19 travel restrictions eased late last year, we were excited about hosting representatives of Adeso, Secure...
Community conservation offers hope for sustainable fisheries on the Kenyan coast
The situation It used to be easy for fishing communities on the Kenyan coast to know when the seasons would change, the winds would peak, and the sea would be safe to access because the weather forecasts were more stable....
An exchange visit to Pate Island, Lamu Archipelago – inspiring change in community-led fisheries and conservation
Munje to Pate – the start of learning There was hope and excitement as nine community members, seven men, and two ladies from Munje in southeast Kenya, boarded a shuttle bus for a nine-hour journey to Lamu. Our mission was...
Madam Mwanatumu: taking action and advocating for equality
Through action and change for equality The role of women in the fisheries sector cannot be further emphasized as they are key actors and players in forging connections between fishers and the market. While a fisherman’s role may mainly involve...
Mama Hamisi: an inspiration for women in Kenya’s small-scale fisheries
Once a pastry seller, Mama Hamisi is now an octopus gleaner, seaweed farmer, closure area patroller and community steward in Kibuyuni
Conservation leadership: nurturing collaboration for the African marine conservation sector
Strengthening relationships in the final week of training for the first cohort of the African Marine Conservation Leadership Programme