A top University in the US has awarded a warrior from the Samburu Community with Sh10 Million for his magnificent work.
Tom Lalampaa, was awarded the coveted Bright Award by Stanford University for his efforts towards conservation of the environment.
Lalampaa will make a key address at the University when he flies out of the country to receive his prize.
The warrior went to school in the mid 80’s after his brother opted to stay at home and herd cattle.
“My elder brother was told to choose what he wanted and he chose to stay home, so I was taken to school,” Lalampaa was quoted by the Standard.
During the holidays he lived like a normal pastoralist through herding cattle and later went through the Samburu ritual making him a Moran and later an elder.
After his first BA degree in social work, the community raised money for him to pursue his master’s degree at the University of Nairobi (UoN) in project planning and management.
After his education in 2004, he joined the community and pioneered various innovative conservation efforts that integrate biodiversity conservation with improved development.
Through the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT) – started in 2004, where he works as the chief programmes officer, Lalampaa taught pastoralists an innovative way of grazing cows which didn’t require them to travel hundreds of kilometres in search of pasture.
NRT also provides the farmers with a ready market to sell their cattle with the members required to remit a certain amount to the conservancy for development. For example if a cattle costs Sh45,000, Sh1000 will be deducted for environment conservation.
The same model applies for women doing beadwork.
Photos of Lalampaa:
American School Awards Samburu Moran Sh10 Million
