Key Partners

The Mount Elgon Foundation’s approach is collaborative and it works through key partners on the ground. The most important long term partner is the local community and the Foundation seeks to be supportive of people in the projects it funds and areas in which it works. 

The key direct institutional partners for the Foundation for the Mount Elgon Elephant Project (MEEP) and cultural heritage research are the East African Wild Life Society and National Museums of Kenya.  Both programmes involve working with Kenya Wildlife Service and Kenya Forest Service.

Other key partners are our and MEEP’s funding partners – a range of foundations and a number of private individuals whose very important contribution we acknowledge and thank them for.  These include the Elephant Crisis Fund.

East African Wild Life Society

The East African Wild Life Society (EAWLS) is a conservation organisation that prides itself on being the voice of conservation in the East African region. It is a membership-based non-governmental organisation, founded in 1961 following the amalgamation of the Wildlife Societies of Kenya and Tanzania (themselves both founded in 1956). The mission of the Society is to promote the conservation and wise use of the environment, especially wildlife, by advocating for rational policies and appropriate resource management regimes, in conjunction with promoting best practice and good governance. MEEP is an EAWLS project, working closely with the wider EAWLS team based in their Nairobi head quarters.

National Museums of Kenya

National Museums of Kenya (NMK), a state corporation established by an Act of Parliament, is a multi-disciplinary institution whose role is to collect, preserve, study, document and present Kenya’s past and present cultural and natural heritage. This is for the purposes of enhancing knowledge, appreciation, respect and sustainable utilization of these resources for the benefit of Kenya and the world, for now and posterity. NMK manages many regional museums, sites and monuments of national and international importance alongside priceless collections of Kenya’s living cultural and natural heritage. NMK has led the cultural heritage research on Mount Elgon.

Kenya Wildlife Service

The Kenya Wildlife Service’s (KWS) vision is to “save the last great species and places on earth for humanity”. It is a Kenya state corporation with the mandate to conserve and manage wildlife in Kenya for the Kenyan people and the world. KWS undertakes conservation and management of wildlife resources across all protected areas in Kenya in collaboration with stakeholders. It is KWS’ goal to work with others to conserve, protect and sustainably manage wildlife resources. MEEP’s management and community scouts work closely with the KWS teams operating from the KWS Kitale regional office and the Chorlim and Kaberwa KWS stations on the ground.

Kenya Forest Service

Kenya Forest Service (KFS) is a corporate body established under an Act of Parliament that gave KFS the mandate “to provide for the development and sustainable management, including conservation and rational utilization of all forest resources for the socioeconomic development of the country and for connected purposes“. KFS’ vision is “to be an internationally recognized organisation for excellence in knowledge-based sustainable forest resources management and conservation”. The large areas of Mount Elgon that fall under the jurisdiction of the KFS are split into two Forest Reserves which lie in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties and MEEP liaises with the county KFS offices and Foresters on the ground. The water project developed by two of the Foundation’s trustees supports a key KFS seedling nursery.

Elephant Crisis Fund

The Elephant Crisis Fund (ECF) is a joint initiative of Save the Elephants and the Wildlife Conservation Network. It was set up in partnership with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 2013. The ECF funds the best ideas and most urgent actions by highly vetted conservation organizations working to safeguard the future of elephants. 100% of every donation goes straight to the field, with zero overhead. The ECF has supported over 309 projects from 88 organisations across 40 countries. The Elephant Crisis Fund has inspired donations to date of $27.2M in seven years. The ECF will not stop its support of these effective programs until it has ended the ivory crisis and ensured elephants are no longer under threat.