For Kristy Thomson, a lifelong love of animals became a career in ecology, conservation and eventually, a life-changing connection with Kenya.

After more than two decades working as a landscape ecologist, Kristy travelled to Kenya believing that one safari might finally satisfy her fascination with African wildlife. Instead, she returned home knowing she had found the place where she belonged. Before long, she had left her government position and begun dividing her time between planning meaningful safari experiences and leading conservation study tours.

Today, Kristy’s work brings together ecology, ethical tourism, photography, storytelling and community development. She is also the Director and co-founder of The Maarifa Foundation, a volunteer-run grassroots organisation helping children living near Kenya’s wildlife conservancies remain in school while developing a deeper understanding of the landscapes and species around them.

In this Inspiring Individuals interview, Kristy shares how Kenya changed the course of her life, why there can be no conservation without community, and how investing in education can help protect wildlife and wild spaces for generations to come.

 

 

Where did your love of wildlife and the natural world begin, and what first inspired you to pursue a career in ecology?

I’ve loved animals for as long as I can remember. I was always rescuing something, whether it was a dog, a cat or injured wildlife, and I still am. My parents and grandparents were all animal lovers, so I think that’s where it began. I remember watching Gorillas in the Mist and wanting to be Dian Fossey.

Biology was my favourite subject at school, which led to an ecology degree and postgraduate studies. It never really felt like a conscious decision; it just happened. I started my career as a national park ranger, zookeeper and environmental consultant before spending 20 years in government as a landscape ecologist. Then everything changed when I went on safari.

 

 

Do you remember your first visit to Kenya and the moment you realised the country would become such an important part of your life?

I’d always been obsessed with African wildlife. Before my first trip, I told my husband, “I just need to go on safari once and get it out of my system.” It did the exact opposite. It completely changed my life.

I felt as though I had finally found my place. When I returned home, I all but harassed the owner of the safari company I had travelled with until he gave me a job, any job. I had seen their conservation ethos firsthand and wanted to be part of it.

I fell in love with Kenya, its wildlife, its commitment to conservation and, especially, its people. I left my government role and began dividing my time between planning safaris and leading conservation study tours for Australian university students. The tours formed part of their conservation studies and contributed towards their course credits.

 

 

After more than 27 years working in ecology and conservation, how has your understanding of protecting wildlife evolved?

I’ve learnt that there is no conservation without community. If local people don’t benefit from wildlife, conservation simply won’t happen.

 

Kenya is known for its extraordinary wildlife, but what is it about the country’s landscapes, people and culture that continues to draw you back?

I love Kenya’s unwavering commitment to conservation, including its ban on trophy hunting, zero tolerance for poaching and the way its national parks, reserves and community conservancies work together across such diverse landscapes.

But it’s the people who keep bringing me back, particularly the Maasai. They’re incredibly proud of their culture, deeply connected to their land and generous in sharing both. Wildlife first brought me to Kenya, but it’s the people who keep calling me back.

 

 

Your work spans ecology, safari travel, photography and community development. How do these different parts of your life complement one another?

My ecology background allows me to see how everything connects. I see community conservancies, conservation organisations and ethical safari operators all contributing to the bigger picture, and I can see the results: wildlife returning, habitats recovering, communities benefiting and safari-goers enjoying some truly amazing wildlife experiences.

It’s impossible not to become immersed in it. Whether I’m talking to a potential donor about the charity, helping a safari guest plan their travels or sharing photographs on social media, I can’t help but tell a good-news story.

 

 

What inspired you to establish The Maarifa Foundation, and what need were you hoping to address within the communities surrounding Kenya’s wildlife conservancies?

The idea really began during COVID, when tourism came to a standstill. I organised a couple of fundraisers to provide food for Maasai communities around the conservancies, but as the pandemic continued, the longer-term impacts became increasingly concerning. Would conservancies return to grazing land? Would people be forced to turn to bushmeat or poaching? What would happen to children whose families could no longer afford to send them back to school?

Together with a small group of like-minded people, including ecologist Professor Darryl Jones and Maasai elder Daniel Mamai, we established The Maarifa Foundation. “Maarifa” means knowledge in Swahili.

We’re an entirely volunteer-run, grassroots charity focused on education for conservation. We help children remain in school while teaching them about environmental issues that are directly relevant to the landscapes and wildlife around them.

 

 

The Foundation combines access to education with conservation learning. Why is it so important for these two areas to be addressed together?

Baba Dioum said it best: “In the end, we will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand; and we will understand only what we are taught.”

Our goal isn’t simply to help children remain in school. We want them to develop a genuine connection with their environment. When young people understand and value it, they’re far more likely to protect it.

 

 

The Maarifa Foundation works closely with Maasai communities in Amboseli and the Mara. How do local voices and priorities guide the Foundation’s work?

The idea was conceived by my very first safari guide, Daniel from Amboseli, and me. From the beginning, it was designed to be Maasai-led.

I’m the director, but Daniel in Amboseli and Ben Tongoyo in the Mara, both highly respected members of their communities, chair local Maasai Advisory Committees. These committees, made up of parents, elders and school leaders, decide which students receive sponsorship, who joins our Mazingira Club and which local projects we support.

The community has genuine ownership of the Foundation. I simply handle the boring behind-the-scenes work. I believe that’s why we’ve been able to achieve so much with relatively limited resources. The Foundation has been embraced and is owned by the people it was created to support.

 

 

Can you share a particular student, teacher or community story that has stayed with you and reminded you why this work matters?

Lewis’s story makes my heart sing!

We first supported him through primary school and then helped him enter secondary school by covering half of his fees. Our high school bursary programme usually covers 50% of school fees. However, after the first term, Lewis had to leave because his elderly single father could not afford the remaining half.

Daniel and the Advisory Committee asked whether we could fully sponsor him because of his academic ability and his family’s financial circumstances. We said yes, of course.

Lewis has now graduated from high school with top marks and earned a university scholarship. Knowing that he may have been forced to leave school after completing only his primary education makes us all incredibly proud of what the Foundation has helped make possible.

 

 

What are some of the greatest barriers to education faced by children in the communities the Foundation supports?

Financial hardship is the biggest barrier, followed closely by gender inequality in some communities.

Many families simply can’t afford secondary school fees and are forced to choose which of their children can continue their education. Too often, it’s the girls who miss out, which is why we ensure that at least half of our sponsored students are female.

In short, the biggest barrier is opportunity, and it’s this gap that we try our best to fill.

 

 

What do you hope students gain from the Foundation’s environmental education and Mazingira Club programmes beyond what they learn in the classroom?

More than anything, I hope they develop a genuine love for their environment and wildlife.

If they become advocates within their own families and communities, grow into leaders who value sustainable living and one day pay that support forward, then we will have achieved something truly meaningful.

 

Through your safari work, you encourage travellers to experience Kenya in a more ethical and meaningful way. What does responsible safari travel look like to you?

Responsible travel starts long before you arrive. Who you travel with and where you stay make a real difference, as does your own behaviour while on safari. Guides are often quickly blamed for poor practices, but travellers also have a responsibility.

I always encourage guests to spend at least part of their safari in a community conservancy because it directly supports wildlife conservation and Maasai communities. I also recommend small, low-impact camps with experienced and ethical guides.

Travellers have a very important role once they are on safari. This includes respecting their guide’s decisions, never encouraging poor wildlife practices in pursuit of a better photograph or a higher tip, avoiding single-use plastics and being mindful of precious resources such as water. They may seem like small choices, but they all add up.

 

 

How can tourism create lasting benefits for wildlife habitats and neighbouring communities rather than simply bringing visitors into an area?

When it’s done well, safari tourism has the potential to be one of conservation’s great success stories.

Community conservancies are a perfect example. Tourism provides land-lease payments to Maasai landowners, making wildlife more valuable than converting the land for grazing. It creates jobs, protects migration corridors and provides safe habitats for wildlife. It also offers a better experience for guests.

Selenkay Conservancy is a wonderful example. Established on former grazing land in 1997, it is now thriving with elephants and forms an important migration corridor connected to Amboseli National Park. There is just one small eco-camp, giving guests an incredible experience while keeping visitor numbers low. One of the schools we support borders the conservancy, so helping that community is our way of recognising the role its members play in protecting wildlife.

National park fees also play an important role in funding conservation, but there are still many challenges. Parts of the Maasai Mara become unsustainably crowded during the Great Migration, and that’s something that needs to change. What is happening to Nairobi National Park is also little short of a disgrace.

 

 

As a photographer and storyteller, what do you hope your images and experiences from Kenya inspire others to feel or do?

I hope they encourage people to choose safaris that genuinely give back, providing not only unforgettable experiences for travellers but also real benefits for wildlife and local communities.

More broadly, I hope they help people appreciate the wonder of nature, understand why conservation matters and recognise that the choices we make every day have an impact.

 

Looking ahead, what is your greatest hope for The Maarifa Foundation and for the young people who will become the future custodians of Kenya’s wildlife and wild spaces?

I hope that, as more children come through our programmes, the experience shapes not only their futures but also the decisions they make throughout their lives, and that they will one day pay that opportunity forward.

There’s still a long way to go. Human-wildlife conflict remains a challenge, species such as cheetahs and giraffes continue to decline in parts of Kenya, and increasing land subdivision is disrupting critical migration routes.

But I’m optimistic. If we invest in young people today, they’re the ones who will help protect Kenya’s extraordinary wildlife and wild places in the future.

 

 

Kristy’s story is a powerful reminder that successful conservation is never only about protecting animals. It is also about supporting the people who live alongside them, creating meaningful opportunities and ensuring that communities benefit from keeping wildlife and wild spaces intact.

Through The Maarifa Foundation, Kristy and the Foundation’s Maasai-led advisory committees are helping children remain in school, access opportunities and develop a lasting connection with their natural environment. Each student supported has the potential not only to shape their own future, but to become an advocate, leader and future custodian of Kenya’s wildlife.

Learn more and support the work

Visit The Maarifa Foundation to discover more about its education, bursary and environmental learning programmes, and learn how your support can help create opportunities for young people living alongside some of Kenya’s most important wildlife conservancies.

Follow Kristy on Instagram here.