It has been four months since the Laikipia Tourism Association partnered with GiveDirectly in a cash relief program for tourism staff affected by the Covid pandemic.
The Laikipia Tourism Association helped to identify 350 individuals from different tourism facilities in the greater Laikipia landscape to benefit from the program.
These beneficiaries, if deemed to be legitimate staff from the tourism sector, would receive KSH 12,000, disbursed over 3-4 months.
The individuals identified and enrolled by GiveDirectly, have so far received KSH 12,000.
One of the beneficiaries was Lydiah Michael. Lydiah has been a great supporter of the Association’s work since 2019. We sat with Lydiah to discuss if and how the LTA’s partnership has been impactful.
Covid did not spare Lydiah and her business. Lydiah runs a tour company known as Wild N Out Safaris.
At the end of 2020, Lydia was forced to close her physical office space in Nanyuki town, and she and her staff started working from home. This posed an additional challenge as most potential clients were sceptical about booking a tour company without a physical location.
Lydiah’s support of the Association paid off. Lydiah learned of the partnership and Give Directly assistance through our emails and shared her details. GiveDirectly later contacted Lydiah to verify the information she shared, guide her on data protection and safeguarding, and obtained her consent to participate in the relief program.
Through this assistance , Lydiah has been able to pay off her outstanding staff dues and has started scouting for office space in Nanyuki.
You can reach out to Lydiah and learn more about Wild N Out Safaris and their upcoming safari packages. michaellydiah27@gmail.com , or through phone 0719 551 268.
We continue to explore all other avenues to assist those in the sector. Should you want to explore ways to collaborate with us, reach out through tourismlaikipia@laikipia.org
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