The Gombe School of Environment and Society (GOSESO) seeks to bridge human and wildlife prosperity through education for rural Africans with a focus on environmental conservation and sustainable livelihoods. Based in western Tanzania, this project provides resources for teacher training programs in environmental education, service-learning for students, and the design and implementation of experimental courses in community-based conservation.
Over the past half century, considerable efforts have been made to preserve the habitat for chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania. Although Gombe has become a center of scientific research and eco-tourism, local communities in the region continue to live in poverty, which poses a challenge to ongoing conservation efforts. This project will help foster sustainable livelihoods in the region through the promotion of environmental education.
GOSESO promotes environmental stewardship in the communities surrounding Gombe Stream National Park. It does so by developing a place-based environmental curriculum for students in a residential school, a conservation outreach program for community members, a demonstration farm for sustainable agriculture, and a cultural and ecological tourism program. GOSESO's primary mission is to educate the next generation of community leaders committed to environmental sustainability and social justice.
The project will educate 500 students, train 5,000 teachers, and foster community engagement through public outreach efforts as part of a coordinated strategy to promote environmental stewardship and sustainable livelihoods. GOSESO has generated widespread grassroots support to ensure that local people benefit from the land and local resources through participation in environmental decision-making.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
