Environmental education
We believe the future of conservation begins with connection. Every TonyWild Foundation program is built on the same conviction: that young Africans, given the right tools and knowledge, will become the most powerful force for conservation the continent has ever seen.
Visual Ecological Literacy Program
Teaching young people to see, document, and communicate the natural world through photography
VELP is the Foundation's flagship education program. Teams visit schools and communities to run hands-on photography and conservation workshops, using cameras as a gateway to ecological understanding.
Students photograph birds, insects, and wildlife within their school grounds, then use those images as the basis for conservation conversations. The program also runs intensive, multi-day residential workshops in partnership with conservation organizations, during which participants spend six days sharpening skills, meeting rangers, and exploring protected areas.
What participants do
“For many of us, this was the first time we’d held a camera. But by the end of the week, we weren’t just photographers, we were conservationists.”
MITIgation Project
Restoring biodiversity through trees and community action
Miti — Swahili for trees — is at the heart of landscape restoration work with communities
Infrastructure development and water systems, including roads and energy projects, cause unavoidable environmental damage. The MITIgation Project works to reduce and reverse those impacts through science-informed tree planting, habitat restoration, and community-based enterprise. The project supports planting the right species in the right places, and runs Restoration Cafés: informal gatherings where young people explore their role in landscape recovery.
Three strands of work
“The generation that destroys the environment is not the generation that pays the price. That is the problem.”
Bird conservation & citizen science
Empowering young birders:Building the next generation of Kenya's ornithological citizen scientists
Kenya is one of the most biodiverse countries for birds on the planet, yet most young Kenyans have no connection to this wealth on their doorstep. This program combines guided bird walks with photography and citizen science training, introducing students to species identification, ecological observation, and data recording. Participants contribute real data to bird monitoring efforts while building a personal relationship with their local environment.
What participants do
Campus BioBlitz · June 2025
The second Campus BioBlitz at WCK Centre brought together Wildlife Clubs of Kenya members for hands-on citizen science, local species documentation, and conservation mentorship, all in a single afternoon.
In partnership with Wildlife Clubs of Kenya and AFEW Kenya
Bring a student into nature.
Help build a generation of conservation leaders.