By learning you will teach...by teaching you will learn. (Latin proverb)
For nearly three years, Great Ape Trust has managed the Gishwati Area Conservation Program - a forest restoration and chimpanzee conservation initiative in western Rwanda. Under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Beck, director of conservation at Great Ape trust, the Rwanda initiative - known as the "Forest of Hope" - has succeeded thanks to this simple belief: "we cannot save a small population of chimpanzees in a tiny pocket of rain forest if we neglect the people who live near that forest."
As told by Dr. Beck, that philosophy has been illustrated by a young Rwandan named Robert and his charitable gift to the children of Kinihira:
Our chimpanzee research field station is located in the village of Kinihira, on the edge of the Gishwati Forest in western Rwanda. There are fewer than 1,000 residents in the village, no running water, no electricity, and the people have little money. The public school is small and struggles to accommodate students in half-day shifts.
Innocent Robert Rwanum, the cook in our field station, found that he had some spare time in the middle of the day when our research teams were working in the forest. International visitors had brought some children’s books to the field station, and Robert began reading them aloud in English (which he was learning at the same time) and discussing them with local children during the day. More and more children began to show up, and wanted to “read” for longer and longer. Children from surrounding communities started asking for similar programs, and adults were asking for their own “reading circle.” Robert was filling a strong community need, and we want to fund the program to begin to meet the demand.
Robert himself has left to attend secondary school (good for him!). To continue the wonderful work started by Robert, we have decided to hire part-time an English teacher from the school that serves Kinihira village. We also want to provide a greater supply of books for readers of various ages with various interests. A local Peace Corps volunteer is also helping. We can easily and inexpensively get the books, but shipping them to Rwanda and paying the teacher will cost about $5,000 (USD) this year.
If you would like to assist Robert's Reading Group in Rwanda, you may donate through this Web site by clicking here. We will dedicate your gift to this effort, and you can take pride in your contribution to the literacy and improved livelihoods of these wonderful people. These kids will be tomorrow’s decision-makers in Kinihira, and hopefully their good will and improved understanding of the value of the environment will motivate them to help save the Gishwati forest and its wildlife. Thank you.
If you're interested in helping in other ways or simply have questions, please contact Dr. Beck at BBeck@GreatApeTrust.org.
Background Information
The Gishwati Area Conservation Program began in late 2007 when H.E. President Paul Kagame and Great Ape Trust and Earthpark Founder Ted Townsend pledged at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting to found a “national conservation park” in Rwanda to benefit climate, biodiversity and the welfare of the Rwandan people. Great Ape Trust is a scientific research center in Des Moines, Iowa dedicated to ape language studies, and Earthpark is a proposed national center for science-based ecological literacy and immersive learning for students, educators and visitors.
