Dear Friends, Colleagues and Activists,
When I think about 2018 and the amount of work to accomplish on behalf of chimpanzees, I am inspired by our victories in 2017 and the belief that a small group of people truly can make a big difference.
Eazy turned 2 years old in 2017 and was successfully reintegrated with a smaller group of females after spending the first year of his life cared for by humans.
As most of you know, we are a 99% volunteer organization with only two paid (grant-funded), part-time people helping us with marketing, fundraising and website maintenance. So it is with great pleasure I share with you that our overall donations grew by 19% in 2017 and we distributed nearly $55,000 in funds to projects across Uganda.
In 2017 we sent $14,000 to the Bulindi Chimpanzee & Community Project helping them expand to two additional sites. BCCP also won a $30,000 grant, thanks to all of your public votes!
Looking Forward
Because of the generosity and commitment each one of you demonstrate over and over, together we are able to create small but meaningful impact. I am so grateful for your support and enthusiasm for our work and the work of all the dedicated people in Uganda doing the heavy lifting everyday.
I know we ask you to dig deep and we will keep asking because the need, unfortunately, never diminishes. But I also understand that during this first part of the year we are all starting fresh and if you’re like me, saving money. So I wanted to offer some simple ideas for you to stay engaged and help us raise funds with very little effort or individual donations required!
1. Start using smile.amazon.com and choose ‘Friends of CSWCT’ as your preferred charity. Every time you shop, Amazon donates 0.5% of your total purchase to us!
2. Love to sell on eBay? You can donate a portion of your proceeds to us and eBay will credit your selling fees! Learn how here.
3. Host a fundraiser on your Facebook page. Last year for my birthday I hosted a fundraiser on my personal Facebook page and asked my friends to make a donation rather than send me gifts. It’s a great way to show your network what you care about and make it super easy for them. Here’s how to set one up.
We have other ways to get involved HERE and if you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them. We always appreciate creative thinking when it comes to raising awareness and funds.
Thank you so much for your support, for keeping me inspired and for your dedication to chimpanzees! I wish you all a year filled with joy, hope and the continued belief that we are making a difference. As always, feel free to contact me anytime.
Happy New Year, Debra
Debra Durham, PhD
Board President, Friends of Chimps
debra.durham@friendsofchimps.org
2017 Community Development Projects
In partnership with Chimpanzee Trust and Born Free Foundation, board member, Dr. Nancy Merrick and a group of volunteers traveled to Uganda to help build a new toilet and shower facility for the Myende community.
In October 2017, Kimi Island was devastated by fire. Thanks to you, we were able to send $10,000 in emergency funds.
