"Inspiration" Documentary Series

Each film in the Inspiration series focuses on a particular individual (or small organisation) that is doing something positive for conservation and the environment with a view to improving their community's quality of life and preserving biodiversity. These people/organisations are presented as role models and illustrate that even a single person or a small local project can have an impact and make a difference. As a whole, the series will cover a broad range of environmental issues, and show ways of dealing with them - from the rural village level to government level. For example, the people featured may range from a rural villager who is planting trees or looking after the coral reefs in his area, to the Director of the Kenya Wildlife Service who is operating at a policy level.

According to AEFF, the "Inspiration" series has the potential to continue running long into the future, as there are always new role models appearing in the environmental field who can impart valuable knowledge to others through the films. The next projects in line for production are:

• Kenya Wildlife Service Director;
• Shompole Conservancy, Kenya;
• Northern Rangelands Trust, a subsidiary of the Lewa Conservancy, Kenya;
• Chief Pascal and the Kasigau Conservation Trust, Kenya;
• Mau Forest: Ololtisatti ole Kamuaro – former Kenya Wildlife Service Trustee, Chairman of the Tourism Trust Fund;
• Bill Woodley Mt Kenya Trust - Mt Kenya Area:
• Dino Martins (Kenyan entomologist); and
• Kwale/Shimba Hills, Kenya.

Prior to this project, AEFF produced and distributed 13 one-hour educational films about a range of diverse environmental and wildlife issues, including the following:

• The Great Ruaha River (1998): This film shows how ill-advised management at the source of one of Tanzania's major rivers has far-reaching effects for communities and wildlife living downstream, as well as for the whole country. About 2,000 copies of this film have been distributed in East Africa in English and Kiswahili and have been seen by 4 million people in Kenya and Tanzania alone. The film was screened on specially erected screens in the Water Dome throughout the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, August 2002 (through the Global Environment Facility of the World Bank).
• Wanted Dead or Alive (2002): This film reveals the threats posed to both people and animals by the potential renewal of an international ivory trade, and illustrates the financial benefits that rural communities are gaining from sustainable, wildlife-based tourism. The film was screened at CITIES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) in Santiago, Chile, in November 2002, during an evening event hosted by the Species Survival Network, a group of 40 international NGOs who speak with one voice at CITIES. More than 400 people attended the screening, and a DVD, narrated in nine languages, was distributed to the delegates.
• Running Dry (2002): This two-part 80-minute film examines the critical water situation in Kenya, one of the world's most water-scarce countries, focusing in particular on the relationship between deforestation (of both forests and natural lowland vegetation cover) and the loss of water supplies to the country as a whole. The film addresses issues such as the mass clearing of bush land (for charcoal production), pollution, waste, and over-exploitation of water supplies. This film was also screened in the Water Dome throughout the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, August 2002.
• A Keeper's Diary (2006): This film offers insight into the lives of orphaned elephants being raised by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. These elephants have lost their families due to one disaster or another. They have been given a new chance in life and, through the eyes of their Kenyan keepers, the film follows their growth until they eventually join up with their wild cousins. This film has been screened in areas bordering the Tsavo National Park, in Kikamba.

Environment, Natural Resource Management

According to AEFF, throughout the world, education has always been the keystone underpinning all development and personal empowerment. People across Africa are hungry for knowledge but often lack learning resources – especially learning resources which are relevant and applicable to their own particular situation. In this way, AEFF's vision in centred around transforming the face of environmental education in Africa, primarily through the medium of educational films, supported by modern technology and communication methods.

AEFF chose to use the medium of films as a teaching tool because the organisation contends that visual images are powerful communicators and often stay in the mind longer than the written word. In addition, with high illiteracy rates in many places in Africa, film is considered a more appropriate medium. The cost and logistical difficulties of distributing books in remote parts of Africa can also be prohibitive. One book can only benefit one person at a time, whereas a single DVD or VHS tape can reach hundreds of people in one sitting. Moreover, by narrating the same film in different languages, the message can cross local ethnic and international boundaries.