**NEWS RELEASE**

OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY HOSTS THE SEVENTH RHINO CUP TO COMMEMORATE SUDAN -THE LAST MALE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO

February 3, 2022 - Cricketers from across the globe will converge on Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia Kenya (one of Africa’s greatest wildlife conservation areas) for a three-day tournament from Friday 17th June to Sunday 19th June 2022 to commemorate the life of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino.

Established in 2015, the seventh Rhino Cup tournament will see over 200 cricketers playing on a ground surrounded by wildlife and shadowed by the snow-capped Mount Kenya, in support of rhino conservation and to help disadvantaged and impoverished Kenyan youth.

“The Rhino Cup is about drawing on the global love for the game of cricket to help combat poaching of the rhino by supporting Ol Pejeta’s conservation work. Four years since the passing of Sudan -the last male of his species, it reminds us of the need to take action and support the conservancy which is now home to the last two northern white rhinos alive.” Tournament Director and founder of the Rhino Cup, Rob Stevenson says.

“We can see the great strides made in rhino conservation resulting from widespread support and growing awareness, both in Kenya and from overseas. This has helped result in Ol Pejeta Conservancy now boasting a population of close to 200 rhinos, including being the largest sanctuary for the Endangered black rhino in East and Central Africa. These conservation success stories need as much help as they can get, now more than ever with the impact of COVID-19 on tourism to Africa.”

The event showcases the global reach of cricket and the wider benefits that sport can bring to conservation and communities. The tournament will see players from Australia, South Africa, Mauritius, India and England participate, along with teams from different parts of Kenya. The Foundation for Youth Cricket & Education in Kenya, The Obuya Cricket Academy, and The East Africa Cricket & Education Foundation are three high-profile charity-related teams participating in the event.

The event is open to visitors and spectators, a great opportunity to enjoy everything that Ol Pejeta Conservancy offers whilst having the chance to be a part of this year’s cricket in the wild in memory of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino.

Each team playing in the tournament contributes to entering this prestigious tournament. The event organisers hope to raise more than 1 million Kenyan Shillings from this year’s tournament to support Ol Pejeta and The Foundation for Youth Cricket & Education in Kenya (FYCEK), a charity which helps transform the lives of thousands of disadvantaged young Africans through sport and education. Donations can be made at http://www.gofundme.com/rhinocup

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Media Package

A collection of photographs from past tournaments can be accessed here

Boilerplates

Ol Pejeta Conservancy
www.olpejetaconservancy.org

Ol Pejeta is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East and Central Africa, and home to the last two remaining northern white rhinos on the planet. It is the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees, in a Sanctuary established to rehabilitate animals rescued from the black market. It has some of the highest predator densities in Kenya, and still manages a very successful livestock programme. Ol Pejeta also seeks to support the people living around its borders, to ensure wildlife conservation translates to better education, healthcare and infrastructure for the next generation of wildlife guardians. Now more than ever, wildlife conservation is inextricably linked with the livelihoods of local communities. Ol Pejeta seeks to support the people living around its borders, to ensure wildlife conservation translates to better education, healthcare and infrastructure for the next generation of wildlife guardians.

The Foundation for Youth Cricket & Education in Kenya
http://eacdt.org

FYCEK (and its sister charity – The East African Character Development Trust) transforms the lives of thousands of disadvantaged young Africans through character education and life skills development, using the sport of cricket as the delivery method. Since its inception in 2014, EACDT/FYCEK has engaged with over 14,000 boys and girls in socially challenged and ‘slum’ areas in and around Nairobi.  Every week of the school year thousands of boys and girls are coached cricket and taught key character traits essential to progress and success in life.  The concept is simple – to teach and implant into young people, via the educational system, attitudes and life skills which will fit them for employment, family and community life and social integration. The most promising 10 young players from across all the schools will represent FYCEK at the Rhino Cup in Ol Pejeta.

Contact
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Roxanne Mungai +254 / 706 475737 & Rob Stevenson +254 / 113 065825
roxanne.mungai@olpejetaconservancy.org & rob.stevenson@lmsrhinocup.com