Adventures in Preservation Volunteer Vacation a Chance to Save Kenya’s World Heritage

Adventures in Preservation is offering the opportunity for people to rediscover the soul of Swahili tradition and take an active role in the preservation of the World Heritage site of Lamu, Kenya, while taking a volunteer vacation to the tropical paradise.

Adventures in Preservation is offering the opportunity for people to rediscover the soul of Swahili tradition and take an active role in the preservation of the World Heritage site of Lamu, Kenya. Participants in AiP’s two-week adventure in preservation, scheduled for February 7-20, 2010, will undertake restoration work on a historic coral rag residence and learn some of the traditional building techniques that contribute to the town’s unique cultural heritage.

AiP is partnering with the Lamu World Heritage Site and Conservation Office to bring East African students, professionals and community members to join international volunteers in the heritage conservation project. The goal of the project is to stimulate interest in the traditional trades, from building construction to dhow construction, and to create a new generation of craftsmen and women who can carry on the trades and keep their heritage alive.

The island and town of Lamu are heir to a distinctive tradition that is over a thousand years old. The town was declared a national monument in 1980 and added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 2001. Many of its character-defining historic buildings are deteriorating due to lack of maintenance and inappropriate repairs.

The two-week trip consists of two segments. The first is a two-day theoretical presentation on the principles of coral rag building and timber window and door restoration, with a session covering the manufacture, slaking and preparation of lime. The remainder of the workshop will focus on teaching traditional construction and maintenance methods that are being lost due to the adoption of conventional construction techniques.

Learn more about this chance to help save the world’s architectural heritage at http://www.adventuresinpreservation.org/ws-lamu-2010.htm.

Adventures in Preservation, formerly known as Heritage Conservation Network, is a non-profit organization that has been supporting community-based heritage preservation projects since 2002. Its one- and two-week hands-on volunteer vacations give participants the opportunity to travel and to learn preservation skills while actually restoring buildings and experiencing the local culture. Learn more about how AiP harnesses the power of volunteers and the strengths of local communities to make a difference at http://www.adventuresinpreservation.org.

Related Announcements: Press Release

• 11-16-11 - Early Evidence of Humans
• 11-16-11 - Hells Canyon Gives Up Secret - Textiles Discovered in 2008 Recently Dated
• 11-08-11 - SWCA Environmental Consultants Celebrates 30th Anniversary
• 10-06-11 - Idaho Archaeology Events October 2011
• 09-11-11 - Wrapped in Eternity Falcon Mummy Exhibit & Lecture Opening Sept. 10, 2011
• 07-25-11 - Egypt and the Current State of Affairs for Antiquities
• 07-18-11 - History, Wildlife and Land Preservation Can Exist
• 06-16-11 - Top 5 List Of Ways Historic Preservation Can Save The Day!
• 06-02-11 - AiP Announces New Partnership with Preservation Delaware: First Project Launches in August 2011 at Bellanca Air Service Hangar, New Castle
• 05-08-11 - Archaeologically Rich Property Being Condemned by Multi-Billion Dollar Private Company