Mary Nemasira Sopia is a native Maasai from the Maasai Mara and a strong champion for community led conservation. Mary holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance and is the Finance Officer at the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association (MMWCA). MMWCA is an umbrella organization for conservancies across the Greater Mara Ecosystem. MMWCA’s goal is to conserve the Greater Mara Ecosystem through a network of protected areas; conservancies and conservation areas for the prosperity of wildlife and livelihood improvement for the local communities.
Owing to Mary’s immense interest in conservation and exceptional ability to carry out financial prudence, she plays a pivotal role in Mara youth conservation activities including the Mara Vocational Training Program which aims to provide male and female Maasai youth with high quality, accredited vocational skills that respond to employment and entrepreneurial needs in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem. Mary has succesfully led grants management across seven institutions which have enrolled over 2000 students from across the ecosystem.
Mary believes that for successful conservation efforts, indigenous communities advocating for and living sustainably with wildlife and nature should receive incentives to sustain their efforts and improve livelihoods.