Educating and Inspiring

The Challenge

Tree Safari’s goal is to collect and share stories to raise awareness, appreciation and a sense of wonder about the trees and forests of Kenya.  To do this, it documents and shares the knowledge of older generations, as well as scientific facts about trees, in a fun and accessible way.  

The target audience, school children and families, particularly those in rural areas, often don't have access to books.  However, many are extremely well-connected by phone, email and social media

Visual tools selected

Tree Safari is using a range of visual outputs: pictures, comics, short animations and printable fact sheets  which are accessible, appealing and designed to be easily shared. We have also created a web page with an interactive map where people can look for trees or forests near them and click links to take them to stories, animations, other resources and to organisations working in the area.

Process

Tree Safari shares its stories through Facebook, Instagram and by email.  Each post includes an invitation to the audience to share stories and information about trees near them.  Teachers and parents can download fact sheets from the website. Stories, and links to other websites, books, films etc  are posted on the interactive map in the website. In this way the Tree Safari aims to gradually build its audience and to collect, document and share stories about trees and forests all over the country.

Reflections

These are still early days, but the reception to date has been positive. People are following Tree Safari, sharing their own stories and connecting to each other through network we are building.  Tree Safari stories are being shared in Kombo, the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya quarterly magazine and have been downloaded and used by school teachers around the country.  During the Covid lockdown one school carried out its own Tree Detective project which was shared on the Tree Safari website.

I have also created a number of awareness raising animations for UNICEF.  

Click on the images below to have a look.

The Power of Cash (UNICEF 2021)

Birth Registration (UNICEF 2018)

Quality Education (UNICEF 2018)

Addressing Gender Inequality (UNICEF 2018)