Eleven Countries Collide

PASA Education Workshop 22-26 August 2011

Three words to sum up the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance Education Workshop 2011: educational, stimulating, and noteworthy.  PASA is a non-profit organization that is committed to the conservation and care of African primates through the unique alliance of African sanctuaries à http://pasaprimates.org/  PASA and Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund make a good team.

PASA delegates and Munteme school wildlife club

The Disney Team and locals who showed us efficient stoves

We were 19 workshop delegates representing 11 countries: Cameroon, Sierre Leone, Nigeria, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Spain, New Zealand, USA.  I was so happy to learn more about Africa.  Languages spoken included French, English and a bit of Spanish for fun, not to mention Luganda and Runyooro the local languages, and even a bit of Creole.  Thank you to the translators!  The common denominator was that we are all passionate to conserve primates and their habitats through conservation education and community development.  Even though I do not volunteer/work for one of the 20 PASA sanctuaries, everything that was experienced was helpful to my current and future jobs in this field and I am forever grateful for the opportunity to attend.

The first day was a visit to Ngamba Island.  They have about 20 chimps that were confiscated from illegal pet trade, or orphaned from bush meat. The Island is in Lake Victoria (basically the size of Lake Michigan). These chimps are not found on the island, but were brought there based on a vision from a chimpanzee advocate.  Ngamba is a great tourist destination where visitors can learn about and see the chimps in a natural setting, feeding and socializing as chimps do.   Our PASA group went on an educational behind–the-scenes tour with all the staff, and ate a fine lunch. Ngamba is run by CSWCT (Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust). The boat trip back was almost two hours, so I had to give up networking with my new colleagues and instead concentrate on the horizon so as not to get motion sickness.

CSWCT has a second conservation arm in Hoima District (4 hours NW from Kampala) where they are working with the local communities to promote awareness and action for environmental conservation including a population of chimpanzees that are living in this fragmented environment.  This campaign is called “Change My Community”.  To be more specific, the aim is to keep the community from further acts of deforestation by teaching the community to:

a) Plant trees – fruiting and timber – for chimp food and fuel wood for human use.

b) Create awareness to their fellow neighbors about the environmental issues through traditional song and dance dedicated to saving the forest and its wildlife.

c) Breed domestic animals so as not set snares/traps to poach wildlife like small antelopes, the duiker, and which also catch chimp hands, etc.

d) Understand the issue of human-wildlife conflict and to find ways to decrease the conflict, in this case, when the chimps eat everyone’s crops because their fruiting trees were cut down.

e) Grow organic farms

f) Build fuel efficient stoves to decrease the amount of wood or charcoal needed for cooking.  

g) Give the community alternative sources of income as incentive to stop destroying the forest.

Valerie and Anne testing the heat from inside a compost pile

Community organic garden at Kyamaleera Wildlife Education Center

Separating trash at Ngamba Island

1 of 5 huge boarding school fuel efficient stoves

Luckily in Uganda it is not common for people to eat chimps or hunt them specifically for food.  The cause of the chimp’s population decline is more a result of deforestation in this region of Africa…Phew, the better of two evils!

Fun Disney conservation activity

Community member proud of her stove; we are too!

Silver, the Education Director of CSWCT,  showed us four tangible examples of the above a)-g).  The first was a visit to Munteme Junior School in Kiziranfumbi Sub County to see cultural song and dance to promote forest awareness.  The interesting part was that this wildlife club dancing was the same courtship dance that my wildlife club students do in Kabrole District/Rutooro culture with the Kasiisi Project.  It is all so fun and interesting!  Then Silver, innocent and Philip took us on a forest walk called St. Joseph’s Munteme-Itoya Forest- in the Private Forest Owners Program.  It is 1518 hectares of forest that is being protected by CSWCT and some community members as best they can, while at the same time educating and working with the community.  We heard the chimps in this forest, but didn’t see them, as they run away from people due to the human-wildlife conflict resulting from human encroachment.  But we experienced other fun things like muddy, wet feet and biting red ants that went up everyone’s pants and bras, except for Laia’s which I don’t know how she was able to avoid them. I also was excited to learn about a fast growing semi-indigenous tree species from Kenya called Melia volkensii that does not need much water and may be a great alternative to eucalyptus and pine.  It was a good walk in a true forest which does need to be saved as securely as possible… Keep up the good work CSWCT and Community!

Munteme Junior School Wildlife Club - traditional courtship dance

The third visit was to a boarding school who invested in five energy efficient stoves for the large school kitchen, and saved so much fuel wood that they paid off the cost of the stoves in four months. The last site-visit was to Kyamaleera Wildlife Education Center to learn about the “Change my Community Program”. Here we were taught by the active wildlife club students how to build energy saving stoves, organic farming, and tree nurseries.  Their products looked beautiful and tasty and it was impressive to see the students and teachers actively and passionately involved in conserving their local environment.  

1 year old Melia volkensii

With the help of a few organizations, I think this community has become a wonderful example of hope for other communities not only in Uganda but the rest of the world towards conservation.  This reminds me of Costa Rica’s successes in conservation management.  Maybe Uganda will be the next Costa Rica, it sure feels like it to me.  Ugandans seem to readily absorb conservation lessons and initiatives and are happy to be involved as long as there is a benefit to them, which of course is only fair and makes sense.  I think the rest of the conference delegates noticed this as well and many compared it to their own project communities where it can be a much harder fight to get people on board towards sustainability. PASA gave all of us the opportunity to share our different experiences as conservation educators in the field.

Munteme-Itoya forest in the area where chimps are scattered by fragmentation

For me, visiting the conservation sites within Uganda was the best part. In Hoima, they speak Runyooro, which is similar to Rutooro, the one I am trying to learn in Kabarole District where Kasiisi Project in Kibale NP is located (sorry that was a mouthful).  These two districts give pet names; remember the ones I explained in my first blog in May?  My pet name is Akiiki.  Both districts say “Webale muno”, for “Thank you very much”.  I tried my best to speak some Rutooro and Luganda, but not much was working, so I just stuck with the primary greetings, “Oli Ota Nyabo, Ssebo?” (How are you Madam, Sir?).

Kathy's presentation

All of the presentations of each sanctuary were excellent – it was great learning about each institution, and the successes and challenges in animal husbandry and conservation education in each country. Africa is such an interesting place with each country’s attitude towards conservation different from the next, yet some cultures not necessarily so different from each other, and at the same time, each community deserving the respect for their differing perspectives on their livelihood. Learning how each PASA educator/delegate adapts to their communities was priceless.

Obana explaining an activity

Dancing to Congolese music at Impala Cafe with Patricia and Laia

Other things I learned:  I can get to Rwanda, Ruhengeri town where my friends Mountain Gorilla Vet Project and Art for Conservation organizations are, on two buses that would take me about 12 hours from Kampala – this would save me about $300 for a flight.  Nigeria is 100 times ahead of Uganda, according to Abakum, and their musicians have most of the hottest African beats (like my current favorite, “Sawa, Sawa”). Zambia is 10 times behind Uganda, according to me.  I really like music from Sierre Leone, and as Obana mentioned “we like to sweat when we eat [hot spices]”. Women belong in the kitchen – according to every African male on the bus minus Obana – this was actually a really funny conversation. Cameroon is larger in size than Kenya, according to Jeta, and they also have nice music. Pierrot and Patricia dance very well to Congolese music. South Africa is going to start breeding rhinos like cattle, to make up for the horn poaching that is occurring in the hundreds per year.  

"Se Super!"

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