Moore Charitable Foundation Moves to Kenya

The Maasai tribe of Africa have been around since the 15th Century, steeped in tradition and history, this well-respected tribe is vital to the cultural heritage of Kenya. With their bright red robes and spear in hand, the African landscape would not be the same without these courageous and brave soldiers who live in Maasailand.

A Maasai warrior is renowned for his intelligence, colourful appearances, bravery, and unassuming manner. The land of the Maasai is home not only to the community of the tribe, but also to a number of plants and wildlife, all of whom live in harmony together. Out of the 50 tribes still existing in Africa, the Maasai are one of very few who still maintain their ancient traditions and lifestyle.

To maintain their existence the Maasai people need a lot of land, to grow crops, herd cattle, build huts, and keep them safe from predators.

The Moore Charitable Foundation supports Massai Wilderness Conservation Trust’s efforts to protect critical species – including the magnificent lions in Kenya – while creating a sustainable economic benefit for the Maasai community though the preservation of wilderness, wildlife, and their cultural heritage. The threat that modern Africa is having means that there is less land available for them, and they are at risk of losing their cattle to poachers (it's bad enough protecting them from the lions).

During the 20th Century the Maasai have lost a lot of their land to the European settlers, about two thirds in total. With less land becoming available for the Maasai, and the rest of the Kenyan population, means that their existence is threatened.

It's not only the Maasai who are in trouble, Lions (who play an integral part in the Maasai culture) are also endangered, having seen their numbers drop from 100,000 to just 14,000 in the last decade. The Maasai warriors do not advocate Lion hunting, despite their own warrior initiation traditions from years past.

Charities such as the Massai Wilderness Conservation Trust work to protect the land of the Maasai, enabling the communities to keep living according to their traditions. One of the ways in which they do this is to reimburse livestock killed by lions, preventing a Maasai counter-attack on the Lion community. This protects the Lions and also prevents the Maasai going hungry.

Celebrities such as Edward Norton are active supporters of the Massai Wilderness Conservation Trust, and now their list of supporters includes the Moore Charitable Foundation, set-up by hedge fund extraordinaire Louis Bacon.

Mr Bacon is no stranger to wildlife or land conservation and protection, he has backed many projects in his native America. By lending his support and donating much needed funds to The Massai Wilderness Conservation Trust it can continue its work and providing much needed job opportunities for Kenyans. Currently the trust employs more than 200 Kenyans, as teachers at the schools, game scouts to protect wildlife, a doctor and nurses at the dispensaries.