The Power of Paper
In March, the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary located on Lake Victoria in Uganda, experienced severe and damaging storms requiring emergency repairs to the docks, retaining wall and guest tents.
In response to this urgent need and in partnership with Friends, the Blank Park Zoo in Iowa and the Maple Valley Anthon Oto Middle School worked together to raise money for Ngamba Island, the 49 chimp residents and the dedicated staff caring for them.
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- Violent storms caused severe damage to the dock and retaining wall on the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in Uganda.
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- Students and teachers at Maple Valley Anthon Oto Middle School during their fundraiser for Friends of Chimps.
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- Some of the women of the Kwagaalama Handicraft Association with their paper bead jewelry on the island of Myende. In order from left to right: Ruth, Hajara, Hawa, Amina and Regina.
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- Ngamba Island is home to 49 rescued chimpanzees. They have 95 acres of forest to range in daily and have a dedicated staff of caregivers and veterinarians taking care of them.
Middle school students received paper bead jewelry that had been handmade by women in Uganda, living on the island of Myende, next door to Ngamba. Myende is a small island with approximately 2,000 residents, living mainly as a fishing community. As part of a community development collaboration between the chimpanzee sanctuary and the residents on Myende, women formed the Kwagaalama (KWAH-GAH-LAMA) Handicraft Association to make and sell handcrafts, including the paper bead jewelry as a way to help support their children and families.
More than 10,000 miles away, the children of this school held a fundraiser and raised $1,000 in part by selling the paper bead jewelry! They were so successful they were featured in the local news! Read the story here. The Blank Park Zoo very generously donated an additional $3,500 bringing the total to $4,500.
The total amount raised during Friends’ emergency storm repairs fundraiser was more than $25,000 and we’ll be posting a repair update in the next two weeks. Keep checking back or join our mailing list to receive news, announcements, events and blog posts right to your Inbox.
If you are a zoo, school or other organization that would like to host a fundraiser for Friends of Chimps, please contact us, we’d love to talk with you.
