Kilifi County County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Blue Economy witnesses community transformation through Coral Guardian's Project REEL

The County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock Development, and Blue Economy, Dr. Patteson Chula, conducted a site visit to witness firsthand the groundbreaking social and ecological impacts of the community-led marine conservation initiative.

 In a significant endorsement of community-led marine conservation, Project REEL, implemented by Coral Guardian, was honored to host Dr. Patteson Chula.

The visit served as a powerful showcase of the project's approach, which extends beyond coral restoration to build tangible skills and empower local community members, with a special focus on women.

During a previous meeting, the Project REEL team had shared a landmark achievement: for the first time, women from the Kuruwitu community had learnt to swim as a core component of their coral restoration training. Dr. Chula returned to see this progress in action.

The CECM observed the women fisher interns demonstrating their swimming proficiency and participating in routine marine conservation work, solidifying their role as essential stewards of their local marine ecosystem.

Beyond observing the trained interns, Dr Chula also met and encouraged the project's newest cohort, a dynamic and passionate group of ten local community members, comprising five women and five men, who are just beginning their intensive training in coral restoration techniques and ocean stewardship.

"This visit underscores the critical link between a healthy blue economy and community empowerment," said Dr Chula during the tour. "Seeing local community members, fishermen and fishmongers and especially women, gaining the skills to directly manage and restore their marine resources is exactly the type of sustainable development we support. This project is a model for how conservation and livelihoods can thrive together."

The project continues to demonstrate that effective environmental conservation is permanently linked to socially sustainable investment. By equipping local communities with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to protect their resources, the initiative is fostering a new generation of ocean leaders in Kilifi County.