As part of The Long Run, Lengishu is committed to the 4Cs principles; Commerce, Culture, Community and Conservation which form the guiding principles of every decision that is made.
One of The Long Run’s pillars is community – “ People matter; it is the right of every person to have their basic needs met, and enhancing the well-being of communities is a fundamental obligation of all.” This is a fundamental pillar of Lengishu’s culture. . The Lengishu team is primarily made up of members of our local community and support numerous health, education and microenterprise programmes outside of the conservancy. For example, in partnership with the Ministry Of Health, the Borana Mobile Health Clinic provides basic health care, health lectures, HIV Aids awareness, child immunisations and more to Borana Conservancy’s neighbouring communities.
Lengishu is actively supporting several local community projects, primarily Lockusero School. In late February 2023, while visiting local schools, Lengishu received a request from the headteacher of Lokusero and Olkinyei primary schools, requesting support in purchasing food for their students due to the ongoing drought in Northern Kenya. The team at Lengishu, including owners Joe and Minnie MacHale, raised over £3,000 GBP towards this cause. The donation was made via the Borana Conservancy education support programme who ensured 100% of the funds reached the intended beneficiaries effectively.
These funds were not limited to purchasing food for Lokusero and Olkinyei primary schools; porridge and sugar was also purchased for nine other primary schools in the area. Borana Conservancy contributed another £500 to supplement the available budget – this donation will help sustain the students for the remainder of the term and hopefully longer.
Lengishu is also currently funding a sanitary pad programme at Lokuseru school, which has the highest number of female students in the Borana Education Support Programme. This project ensures that all girls who attend the school can do so year-round so as not to disrupt any of their studies. So far this initiative has helped 526 girls, 262 of those have been in 2023.
Lengishu is a destination that invests in sustainability and our local community in line with the principles of The Long Run, principles that are becoming increasingly important in today’s world.
