The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

World Wetlands Day 2002: Kenya

Sarah Higgins, Hon Secretary
Lake Naivasha Riparian Association [kijabe@net2000ke.com]
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2002 2:30 PM
To: Valerie Higgins @ Ramsar

World Wetland Day, Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Dear Valerie,

Our World Wetland Day celebration, which was held on Saturday (02.02.02) at Elsamere Field Study Centre, went very well. We had involved as many of the local schools as we could and had competitions in poetry, songs and essays. It was an excellent day. The children were brilliant and had been amazingly creative around this year's theme of 'Water, Life and Culture'. Much to our delight a couple of groups that we had not expected pitched up as well. There was the Naivasha Catholic Church Environmental Youth Group and also a couple of adult students from the KWS Training Institute who presented a most amusing and informative poem! We had also invited a Masai dance troop from the local cultural centre who performed a dance with some of their amazing vocalisations and leaping and then showed us how to make fire from two sticks. The speeches from local dignitaries were short and to the point and there were lots of fun and useful prizes donated by KWS. Prize giving was followed by refreshments and then the children were all bussed back to their respective schools.

We had got a local artist to make us some banners for the day as well as some stickers and we got our first 'draft' sign board up (pictures attached) in time for the celebration and are now making the final alterations before we put up a bigger version on the three entrance roads to Naivasha. Our WWD team worked very hard to make the day a success and were duly exhausted by the end of the day. I, on the other hand (who merely had to make a short speech and waft around with my camera taking pictures), had a great time.

I was delighted to see the official announcement of Kenya's fourth Ramsar site in the 'Bulletin Board' (I caught it this time but only just!).

Cheerfully, Sarah

See more photos of the banner, schoolchildren, and Masai dancers here as well.

For further information about the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, please contact the Ramsar Convention Bureau, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196 Gland, Switzerland (tel +41 22 999 0170, fax +41 22 999 0169, e-mail ramsar@ramsar.org). Posted 5 February 2002, updated 8 March 2002, Dwight Peck, Ramsar.