In the Maasai Mara region of Kenya, something remarkable has taken root: a new community space where tradition and environmental leadership come together.
Thanks to the vision and leadership of Ipato Kenta, through her Season of Solutions campaign, the Rafiki Conservation Center is now open and serving its purpose—a community-based conservation hub designed by and for young people from the Maasai community.
Ipato, a passionate advocate for environmental justice and indigenous rights, decided to do something about it.
For years, elders in the region have noticed a growing disconnect: younger generations have had fewer opportunities to learn about the deep conservation knowledge embedded in Maasai culture. Traditional stories, values, and practices that once guided sustainable living were at risk of being lost.
The Rafiki Conservation Center is now a fully functioning space where young people come together to learn, share, and lead. It’s a place where Maasai youth can engage with elders, explore traditional conservation practices, and tell their own stories about what it means to care for the land and wildlife today.
From community workshops and storytelling circles to hands-on conservation projects, the center is already becoming a vital part of the local landscape. Youth are stepping into leadership roles, inspired not only by environmental urgency, but also by a deeper sense of cultural identity and pride.
This is the kind of long-term, community-rooted impact that Season of Solutions exists to support.
When you donate to Season of Solutions, you’re not just funding a project—you’re helping leaders like Ipato turn ideas into action. You’re supporting work that values indigenous knowledge, uplifts young voices, and builds real solutions to environmental and cultural challenges.