By Jo B | Supporter Care & Database Executive
Thank you for supporting David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) through GlobalGiving.
Over the past six months, DSWF have continued to work alongside our ground-based conservation partners in Guinea to protect a key chimpanzee stronghold in and around the High Niger National Park (HNNP).
Since our last update in September, a military coup has taken place in Guinea and political instability remains rife. This has led to many big donors, including the World Bank and UNOPS, pulling their funding from the country making DSWF’s support more important than ever.
DSWF funding in Guinea aims to reduce the negative impacts that humans have on Guinea’s population of western chimps around the HNNP. The project delivers this through two strategies by raising awareness of environmental problems with adults and children and by providing alternative livelihoods to villages around the park.
Due to school summer vacations and the rainy season hitting hard, education work has been harder to conduct this quarter, but the new education volunteer (who started in March) has helped scale the project and has conducted several training sessions with local educators. A third educator has joined the CCC team (the first female to join). This is essential to connect with local girls and women’s groups highlighting that they can do more than just run the home. The educator has great experience in agroforestry which will be vital to help expand the impact of CCC’s work in local areas.
Moving forwards, CCC will send an educator and one volunteer to the northern villages in the park which are not currently being engaged. A simplified version of the program will be delivered on this first contact and a movie night will be held to attract adults to engage more in environmental conservation. After evaluation of education initiatives during the period, analysis showed that knowledge was 2.72 times higher after education initiatives were conducted.
During the reporting period, 300 children, 500 women and 7 communities were reached, and as a result have a greater understanding of chimpanzees ecology and the need to protect them.
Since April, bag recycling and soap making projects have been conducted. These workshops help provide additional and sustainable income to communities neighbouring the park which in turn disincentivise environmentally degrading activities such as cutting down trees. One soap making workshop and three bag recycling workshops were held. An extra village (Koura Sambouya) outside the project scope was also included. . Our ground-based conservation partners are also working on developing a new plan to implement an annual chimpanzee day in the local area.
The Bigger Picture
Over the past 12 months, DSWF have continued our 37-year legacy of providing unwavering support to protect some of the world’s most endangered species. Over the course of 2022 we will continue to support our long-term conservation partners to protect wildlife, tackle wildlife crime and reduce poaching threats alongside engaging and supporting more community groups working to protect wildlife.
Thanks to your help, we have granted over £11 million in direct conservation support to turn the tide on extinction.
On behalf of everyone at DSWF and the wildlife we fight to protect, Thank You.
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By Jo B | Supporter Care & Database Executive
By Jo Briffitt | Supporter Care & Database Executive
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