This is James Ole Lesaloi, the man behind an ambitious project in Kenya to help the local Maasai community finally begin to benefit from the many tourists that come to Africa’s most famous safari destination, the Maasai Mara game reserve. The substantial amount of money generated by places like the Mara, is shared by the tour operators, camp owners and air line owners, with only a tiny amount being accessed by the local community. As a result, the Maasai are amongst the poorest people in Kenya.

James set up Semadep (The Sekanani Maasai Development Project) in 2006 to try and change this. He established the Semadep Safari Camp only 2 kilometers from the main gate to the Mara. All profits are used for community development in the Sekanani area and all the staff are from the local Maasai community including the Camp Manager.