**In honor of World AIDS Day 2010, Safari Professionals would like to highlight The Nyanya Project and our “Safari Celebrating Hope”**

Nyanya is Swahili for grandmother. This project originated in 2006 when its founder, Mary Martin Niepold visited Kenya and saw the unfathomable tragedy brought about by the AIDS epidemic. Time and again, she encountered older women who were raising their grandchildren; children who were orphaned due to the AIDS epidemic. The Nyanya Project’s work began in Kenya and thus will be the destination for our safari next summer. In Kenya alone, it is estimated that there are one million children who have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic. This figure is mind boggling. While in Kenya, I saw children who were not with their grandmothers (or with any caretaker for that matter) and I felt frustrated because I didn’t know how to help.

There are other weighty factors that further complicate the grandmother’s situation. Many of these elderly women are widows living in dire poverty, on less than $1 a day. They have lost not only their spouse, but also a child. Their own health may be poor. Since education in Kenya has not been available to the vast majority of females, these women are uneducated and have had no way to help themselves. There is no government assistance and no way out.

The Nyanya Project has established two working initiatives in Kenya. The first initiative is located in Kibera – the poorest area of Nairobi. Here, grandmothers are taught the necessary skills to run a small business. Some are now running successful businesses in their neighborhoods and are able to support themselves and their grandchildren.

The second initiative is in the small village of Ndathi. In Ndathi, grandmothers participating in the project are given 9 sheep and other livestock. They are being taught how to properly shear the wool, in anticipation of learning how to weave products that will supplement their income. In addition, a day care center has been built and adults are able to visit the center with the option to pay to learn English. All of these projects bring hope, life and dreams back to people who want to help themselves.

During my years as a mental health social worker I learned that no one suffers alone – suffering has a ripple effect. Even though the grandmothers and their orphaned grandchildren live outside our neighborhood, suffering is suffering. It is just as deeply painful in the USA as it is in the Kenya. There are basic traits we all share, no matter where we live. Life is precious.

We at Safari Professionals feel deeply about The Nyanya Project’s focus and are grateful that we can be a small part of the effort to make a difference in the lives of grandmothers and their orphaned grandchildren. We also are grateful for the awareness that World AIDS Day raises. Through events like this, people become more educated about the disease and in time, the number of people affected by it will be greatly reduced.

If you would like more information about The Safari Celebrating Hope, please call me at 800.779.2146 or email me at: Elaine@SafariProfessionals.com

For a short video on The Nyanya Project’s important work, please go to:

The Nyanya Project: Helping Grandparents Help Nairobis AIDS Orphans

The World Health Organization first declared December 1st as the official World AIDS Day in 1988. According to the WHO, there are 41 million people living with HIV/AIDS across the globe. 2.3 million of which are children, with 90% having contracted the retrovirus from their mothers either in the womb, at birth, or while breastfeeding. This occurs most often in developing countries, where the medicines used to prevent mother to infant transmission is generally unavailable. There are also millions of children who have suffered the loss of one or both parents due to HIV/AIDS… 20 million to be exact. This astounding figure shows the incredible importance of AIDS awareness organizations, such as Mary Martin Niepold’s Nyanya Project. The Nyanya Project spotlights an often forgotten victim of the AIDS pandemic – African grandmothers. We feel honored that The Nyanya Project has chosen Safari Professionals to design their 2011 “Safari Celebrating Hope: Making A Difference For African Grandmothers and Their Families.”

Those of us who have visited the “Mara” understand why it is ranked so high among the world’s outdoor destinations. The rolling savanna provides the perfect habitat for large numbers of grazing and browsing animals, ranging from robust black rhinos to delicate Thomson’s gazelles. From June through October, it is the home of the largest migration of large mammals in the world. Around 2 million wildebeest and zebra flock to these rich grasslands as they follow their annual migratory routes in search of nutritious food.

But our favorite time to visit the Mara is from late December through March. While the migration may have moved on, there is an amazingly diverse population of wildlife that remains. As the dry season advances, the animals congregate around the dwindling sources of water and offer us unparalleled opportunities to witness the activities and interactions of the various species.

And there are fewer other travelers during this season. We often feel that the Maasai Mara is our private wildlife reserve during these months.

If you’d like more information about the Maasai Mara and the best places to explore, please contact us here.

Yesterday, on April 25, 2010, a replica of the HMS Beagle sailed into the Cape Town port as it wrapped up its historic recreation of one of the most influential ocean voyages ever recorded. This voyage has been the focus of a documentary series on Darwin’s life and his scientific observations and theories, in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of his birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of OnThe Origin of Species.

During his stay in Cape Town, Darwin visited Sir John Herschel, the director of the new Royal Observatory at Cape Town.  Their conversations included a variety of subjects, including volcanoes, the movement of continents, the origin of mankind and how new species came into being.

As an interesting historical aside, Darwin is buried next to Herschel in Westminster Abbey.

If you are visiting any of the southern African safari destinations, we recommend you consider a visit to Cape Town. It is the perfect place to relax after your initial international flights or to wind down at the end of your private wildlife viewing safari.

Before you leave for an extended vacation, especially one to an international destination, we recommend you consult your physician and a professional travel clinic. Make the doctor’s appointment no less than eight weeks before your departure. You may need some prescriptions, inoculations (some of which need to be taken well before your departure), and perhaps some special advice that relates to your own health. If you haven’t had a physical examination recently, you should get one. Discuss your itinerary and describe your planned activities with your doctor if you have any questions about your fitness.

Be sure to bring enough of the prescription medicines that you are currently taking to last throughout your safari. When you pack, make certain that you have them with you in your carry-on luggage, not in the luggage you’ll check through. And don’t take just enough in your carry-on luggage for the flight, assuming that you will retrieve the rest when you get to your final destination. Occasionally, checked luggage is delayed, and you could find yourself without medication. Carry a written copy of the prescriptions for any such medication you need, including its generic/chemical name.

If you have any special condition or allergy that might possibly require attention overseas, have your physician write a letter describing the nature of the condition and the treatment – send a copy to us and carry the letter with you. If you should happen to need medical care away from home, your temporary physician will be able to treat you more efficiently and effectively.

It’s a good idea to see your dentist a few weeks before departure. A broken or lost filling can be very aggravating while traveling. You might also consider taking along one of the commercially available dental emergency kits. Such kits allow you to replace lost fillings, cement crowns or caps, and alleviate toothaches. Ask your dentist or pharmacist for a recommendation.

These simple suggestions have proven to be very effective at making sure our travelers remain healthy throughout their safari and when they arrive home. We provide more detailed recommendations in the personalized Safari Guide we prepare for each traveler.

If you have any question or concerns about health precautions, please contact us here

After confirming all his safari travelers and guides were safe, our partner in Kenya, Steve Turner, and his Origins Safaris team quickly took off in a chartered aircraft in order to evacuate those who had been staying at the affected camps. Meanwhile, the rest of Steve’s staff focused on finding appropriate accommodations in Nairobi and reorganized safari itineraries, as needed.

Last year, the government of Kenya established the Kenyan Crisis Response Team (KCRT). In Steve’s words, “Real thanks must go to the newly formed KCRT (Kenyan Crisis Response Team) for an incredibly well organized evacuation of all effected persons. Kenya is the only country in East Africa with a permanent secretariat for “Crisis Response” and they really proved how valuable they are in this instance, getting half a dozen rescue helicopters on the spot within 30 minutes was truly impressive.”

Here is more of Steve’s assessment: “All camps & lodges on the river itself EXCEPT SaSaab have been forced to close with immediate effect. Detailed assessments are underway as to the various redevelopment issues, and no doubt details of re-opening will emerge from various camp management in due course.

Otherwise game viewing in the park been spectacular. The main bridges across the river will probably be repaired pretty rapidly as it appears their damage was more “access road related” than anything more serious.”

Affected camps and lodges include: Intrepids, Serena, Samburu Lodge, Ashnil, Larsen’s and Elephant Bedroom.

We join Steve in praising the swift and professional efforts of the Kenyan Crisis Response Team.

For those of you who have traveled with us at Safari Professionals, Steve’s quick and effective actions should come as no surprise. We are, again, reminded how blessed we are that Origins Safaris is our exclusive safari partner in Kenya.

Quoting the Audubon Society’s website, “The Important Bird Areas Program (IBA) is a global effort to identify and conserve areas that are vital to birds and other biodiversity.” Their website goes on – “By working to identify and implement conservation strategies at Important Bird Areas, we hope to minimize the effects that habitat loss and degradation have on birds and other biodiversity. ”

While Lake Nakuru is world-famous for its population of lesser and greater flamingos, around 450 bird species have been cataloged around the lake, including endangered species such as the Madagascar pond heron, the gray-crested helmet-shrike and the martial eagle.

This designation will help focus additional attention and resources on the importance of understanding and preserving the Lake Nakuru ecosystems.

For more information on the Important Bird Area program, please visit the Audubon Society’s website here.

Following the lead of other tourism destination countries, the Kenya Tourist Board has invested in the Chinese market and it appears to be paying off. Kenyan officials are particularly delighted that Kenya placed higher than South Africa and Egypt among those attending the event.