When three Lexingtonian middle schoolers put their head together, a potential 501(c)3 was the result.

Inspired by the problems of ivory poaching and species extinction, Ashlan Ahmed, his brother Rayhan Ahmed and their friend Jack McGaraghan created the African Endangered Species Conservation Fund (AESCF), a nonprofit trying to save species at risk of extinction.

“Our main goal is to protect species in Africa primarily, and we’re starting right now by raising awareness,” said Ashlan Ahmed, a 13-year-old middle school student from Jonas Clarke Middle School. Ashlan is serving as the chairman of the nonprofit.

Rayhan Ahmed, the chief operating officer of the fund, said the problem they are dealing with is an issue everybody should be worried about.

“We were encouraged to save endangered species because they already have so much stacked against them,” Rayhan said. “They need to have someone to advocate for them.”

The boys’ main goal is to stem the demand for ivory, which they said is leading to the "egregious killings of species on the brink of extinction."

Jack, who is the chief operating officer and does most of the research for the company, said they became attracted to the concept when they learned about the ivory trade in China.

“From a global economics standpoint, recently China has seen an economic slowdown,” Jack said. “A few years ago China was having an economic boom and with it came a boom in poaching. For them, ivory is a sign of wealth and power.”

People in China have already begun responding to the fund's message, according to Rayhan. He said in tracking visits to their website, approximately 51 percent of the traffic comes from China.

China and the United States are the two biggest consumers of illegal ivory. President Barack Obama and Chinese president Xi Jinping has formulated agreements to end the trade of ivory in their countries.

Ashlan said trying to demote the value of ivory in American and Chinese society is key to breaking down the market poachers in Africa sell to.

“Countries have been working to cut down ivory production,” Ashlan said. “The U.S. government is waking up in a sense.”

A large number of the poachers selling the ivory are from the African countries much of the ivory comes from. Ashlan said instead of killing elephants for ivory, those countries could be investing in tourism, using their natural resources to benefit the country.

“All these communities rely on poaching,” Ashlan Ahmen said. “You have to remember these are third-world countries.”

Rayhan said he was in contact with representatives from Thomson Safaris investigating the possibility of developing a tourism industry in countries who supply ivory.

School reactions

The boys agreed the school has been supportive in their efforts. Jonas Clarke Middle School Principal Anna Monaco said she allowed the boys to use one of their free-study blocks, called What-I-Need (WIN) blocks, during the week to use as a meeting time for AESCF.

“They’re really passionate about this. I think it’s amazing, and I’m happy to encourage them during the school day,” Monaco said. “To me, this sounds like a great enrichment opportunity.”

Ashlan said this was one of their biggest accomplishments. Jack said this allows for a central location where they can introduce themselves to potential volunteers.

“That has created a lot more chances for volunteers to hear what we have to say,” Jack said.

Bryan Rotundo, a Learning Center teacher at Clarke and the boys’ faculty advisor, said most all of the work comes down to the students.

“The ideas, the genesis for everything, comes from them,” Rotundo said. “It’s completely their organization.”

Working with other students does come with its difficulties.

“We’ve seen some criticism from fellow students that didn’t like the way we were running things,” Jack said. “They want us to start actually changing things in Africa.”

The boys said they understand big plans take time.

“This all seems like it’s going to be flashy,” Jack said. “On most stages you’re not experiencing those milestones. You’re emailing someone or typing something or just putting up posters in school.”

Plans for the future

Once the beginning phases are complete, AESCF has plans to spread their word to a larger audience and ultimately begin making tangible differences in the poaching problem.

After meeting students from 12 different states at a summer camp at Stanford University, the boys helped create other AESCF groups in schools all over the country. They said they are in contact regularly, and coordinate with the satellite groups to keep spreading the word.

“Usually they do sort of what we do, raise awareness in their school,” Rayhan said.

Rayhan said changing laws will be integral to seeing that extinction becomes a thing of the past.

“We are hoping to change policy to affect some of the poaching laws in this country,” Rayhan said.

Jack said carving out their own part of Africa was one of the ultimate goals.

“I hope to actually land in Africa. We could start our own nature reserve,” McGaraghan said. “It’s a long-term goal we think we can make happen.”

To donate, or to find out more, visit their website at www.aescf.org. Follow Al Gentile on Twitter: @LexReporter