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| In Kenya the Travel Foundation is now funding two external projects. Kenya is a diverse country, with many different cultures including the Swahili on the coast, pastoralist communities in the north, and several different communities in the central and western regions. Today, the Maasai culture is well known, due to its heavy exposure from tourism although it is only a minor tribe. The Maasai are known for adorning their upper bodies and the jewellery they wear. Kenya has considerable land area of wildlife habitat, including the Maasai Mara.  A Travel Foundation funded project has been successful in overturning over 30 years of exploitation of the Maasai tribe by Kenya’s driver guides, in a ground breaking new initiative in the Maasai Mara. Project Manager, Dr Cheryl Mvula of Tribal Voice Communications, has worked with villagers from 5 cultural manyattas* in the Mara Triangle, along with tour operators and ground handlers in Kenya, to formulate a new, transparent, ticketing and payment system for cultural visits to manyattas that has seen these 5 villages increase tourism revenues by 800%. Product development has also taken place in the manyattas, resulting in increased visitor satisfaction and greater cultural exchange.*Manyattas are Maasai communities typically made up of several huts and enclosed by a fence.
The Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) has put the full weight of its support behind the new initiative. Fred Kaigua, KATO Chief Executive, commented… “All too often, tourism is wrongly perceived not to be of any benefit to local communities. This is largely due to the way the revenues are utilised once accrued. We applaud this initiative by Tribal Voice Communications Ltd as it will go a long way towards making a direct impact not only on the lives of those it touches, but also on the visitor experience and product quality”.
 To date villagers have used their new found tourism income to expand their local school, employ more teachers, install a rainwater harvesting system and construct long drop toilets. The Travel Foundation hopes to roll out this initiative into other areas of Kenya. If UK tour operators and their ground handlers in Kenya would like to begin marketing responsible excursions to Maasai villages in the Mara Triangle, they can purchase visitor entry tickets for the 5 villages in the initiative direct from the KATO office in Nairobi, with the assurance that this income will be retained by the villagers. The Ujamaa community market close to Mombasa is now open for group excursions following their successful launch in August. The market works with local crafts people from villages in and around Mombasa, providing an opportunity for small scale producers to increase their income and improve livelihoods, while at the same time offering tourists an alternative tour experience to the usual beach/safari option. By working and selling directly at the market, crafts people can cut out the middlemen and sell their products for a fair price. All products made and sold at the market are made from recycled, re-used materials such as
 coke cans, wire, plastic bottles and plant fibres such as coconut, palm, papyrus, water hyacinth, baobab, mango, jacaranda and driftwood. Tourists can buy at the market and help support the recycling of some of the waste that they, as tourists, help to produce. Click on the scrap book to the right to view some of the products.The manager of the new market is keen to develop links with major UK tour operators and to work with them on the development of an excursion to ensure that it meets customer needs. Market days will be organised between operators and the market manager to ensure that all tour groups can benefit from visiting the market during their stay in Mombasa. The current Market day is Friday
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