Freshman Wants to Save the Lions

Northwest Academy freshman Emma Hirsch is asking for donations as she continues fundraising for her Build a Boma campaign, a program run by National Geographic.

Bomas are sturdy livestock enclosures that protect animals from lion attacks.

“National Geographic’s Build a Boma organization saves lions and other big cats from retaliatory killings,” Hirsch said. “By building bomas, the cycle of: lion kills livestock, villagers kill lion, will end.”

The program builds bomas for many communities in Kenya and Tanzania.

Hirsch decided to start a campaign, along with St. Mary’s freshman Maddie Ott to fund raise for Build a Boma because of her love and respect for lions.

“Lions have been my favorite animal since I can remember and the awful news of their mortality rate scared me,” Hirsch said. “Instead of letting this fear paralyze me, I decided that I had to do something about it. Knowing that Maddie, one of my closest friends, also had a deep love for these animals and was just as motivated as myself, I proposed to her the idea of starting a campaign page along with National Geographic.”

Ott is just as determined to see their campaign through as Hirsch.

“When we first started the campaign, at the time, both Emma and I felt like we should be participating in something [that] gave back to the environment but wasn’t school related,” Ott said. “Emma mentioned that she had heard about Build A Boma on the National Geographic site, so we thought, ‘Why not try it out?’ Plus, we both love lions and hate to see hunters and villagers destroying their population.”

The campaign is not purely focused on the preservation of lions but also benefits the villages by keeping their livestock safe.

“Not only does the money protect the lions from being killed it also assures the safety of the villagers animals, saving the village’s economy and welfare,” Ott said. “So, if you do donate it will be going toward a really cheap, easy and safe way of keeping the lions out and the livestock in.”

As of December, Hirsch and Ott have raised $600 overall in their campaign, enough to build one boma and maintain it for a year. If they achieve their goal of $1,500, they will have enough to build three bomas. The girls hope to reach their campaign goal by the end of August, 2015.

“Maddie and I began the campaign around May of 2014,” Hirsch said. “Our original goal was to raise $500 dollars by the end August, 2014, but we decided to shoot for $1,500 dollars by the end of August, 2015.”

After a very successful bake sale fundraiser outside Umpqua Bank in Sellwood in early August, the girls hope to have another before the end of the school year.

“All of your donations – 100%- will go toward building boma fences to protect lions, livestock and livelihoods,” Ott said. “$500 will build one boma. $25 will maintain it for a year.”

Both Hirsch and Ott agree that the cause is definitely worth spending time and money to support.

“I believe that people should donate to this cause because it matters,” Hirsch said. “Big cats are absolutely beautiful and to me, a symbol of strength in the world. These bomas will help ensure that in our lifetime we will never have to live in a world without these magnificent creatures in the wild. National Geographic is reliable, and the overall campaign has raised $205,703 as of this January. Help us keep these powerful animals in the wild!”

To donate, go to Hirsch and Ott’s Build a Boma website at http://give.buildaboma.org/maddieandemma