Inaugural Kenya Trip a Celebration of Meaningful, Local Partnerships

The Uplift Travel Foundation inaugural Kenya trip was full of amazing people, exciting places and wonderful projects that celebrate meaningful, local partnerships.

This month, it was an honor and privilege to host the inaugural Kenya trip of the newly launched Uplift Travel Foundation. It included a bit of everything — from shared culture and mentorship of local youth (many of whom dream of careers in medicine, technology, journalism and more) to immersing in wildlife conservation efforts and providing reusable menstrual pads and education for women and girls who would otherwise go without.

Following a week of successful “Uplift Mara” fundraising events last month in Traverse City, it was even more exciting and gratifying to see our foundation dollars in action — including the purchase of milk cows for a widows collective, startup dollars for a rural gardening project and transportation money for displaced youth hoping to attend school.

The trip demonstrated the real progress being made by many of our featured partners, identified from years of relationship building by our team and the wonderful visionaries who share the mission of uplifting local solutions. It would be impossible to share every story from our time there; however, we do want to highlight what matters most to us.

1) The People

Ithumba Head Keeper Benjamin is always quick with a smile and facts about the young elephants reintegrating into the wild.

None of what we do would be possible without local visionaries and global changemakers who we’ve come alongside in featured partnerships. Among them:

• Benjamin is head keeper, responsible for a couple dozen young elephants at the Ithumba Unit of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Orphans Project. With a goal of helping young, orphaned elephants reintegrate into wild populations, his quiet calm and ability to balance the needs of his team with questions from visiting guests is unmatched.
  

• Josh is owner of Kiboko Travel, and our trusted guide on many of our trips to Kenya. On game drives he finds the hardest-to-spot wildlife with ease; combined with his exuberant personality and knowledge of so many of the national parks and conservancies across the country make him a unique asset.
  

• Lenoi is a student of finance and banking, who also provides training on menstrual pads and education for women and girls in rural villages in the Maasai Mara. We met her originally at Kileleoni Mara Gateway Lodge and are thrilled to have her along in partnership as the project expands.

2) The Places

Lake Nakuru is home to successful populations of white and black rhino, hippopotamus and water birds as far as the eye can see.

Kenya is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes and protected lands in the world, including desert and savannah and rainforest biomes. Many of the accommodations throughout the trip were built into these. Among them:

• Amboseli National Park is 392 square kilometers of natural space set aside for the conservation of wildlife, including significant populations of African elephants, with a backdrop of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This pristine area is also newly gifted back into Maasai hands, meaning it will be managed for and by the locals who’ve been its custodians for centuries.
  

• Lake Nakuru is a semi-alkaline lake nestled in the Great Rift Valley, in central Kenya. It is known for healthy populations of both black and white rhino, hippopotamus and a massive population of water birds including flamingoes and pelicans.
  

• The Umani Springs Elephant Reintegration Unit and Lodge are a unique location designed to house and provide access to injured elephants, a smaller and more nurturing environment for those who’ve been victims of poaching or sustained injuries in other ways. Located within the beautiful Kibwezi forest, it’s equal parts fascinating and meaningful.

3) The Projects

Providing menstrual pads, sanitary kits and education to women and girls in rural Kenya helps them stay in school, not miss work and destigmatize having periods.

What sets Uplift apart from other travel organizations is walking alongside local communities as they chart their own path forward. This becomes clearly evident as our trip includes check-ins and touchpoints with many ongoing projects being carried out by our featured partners. Among them:

• Now in its third year, Uplift was thrilled to be working once again with the women of  Kileleoni Cultural Village (many of whom are widows) on the selection and medical evaluation of new cows for their herd. This group, through skilled negotiation, is the first of its kind (owned by women) and these adorable animals will provide milk to feed the villagers as well as economic opportunities and empowerment.
  

• A village called “Five Kilometers” was the location for the most recent training of girls and women learning to use and care for reusable menstrual pads (manufactured by PadMad Kenya). Local women who we’ve selected to become trainers attended to help expand geographic reach, continue work to end the stigma and remove obstacles to girls staying in school.
  

• Mentoring rural youth who dream of exciting and fulfilling careers, many of whom plan to attend colleges and universities, getting help through Tumaini Bora.

4) The Travelers

All of us at Uplift would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the wonderful guests who came along and made this inaugural trip possible. We will share more of their stories in future blog posts. To learn more about Uplift trips and consider traveling with us, take a look at our 2026 itineraries now open. Hope to see you soon!

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