Gorilla

Pupils taking part of the pedal-powered cinema in Kabale

Hi, this is Tuver,

Out of all the projects and initiatives that the Gorilla Organization undertakes in Africa, the Pedal-Powered Cinema is becoming more and more popular among members of the local communities of Uganda.

The idea of having an adapted bicycle that, when pedalled, produces enough power to screen films has been drawing people’s attention and interest and the results speak by themselves!

According to our latest report, 5,581 people from the communities of the Kabale district –western Uganda- took part in the film screenings that were held in 11 schools.

Aside from educating people by screening conservation and wildlife documentaries and great apes documentaries, the communities took part in a range of different activities. At each school, 30 seedlings were supplied and planted to encourage the school community plant more trees and to launch tree planting in the schools that had no tree planting activities. A total of 30 guava, mango and orange trees were planted!

The interest of participants has been also expressed to our staff as many of them have asked about the possibility of someone coming to give them environmental talks. The success of the Pedal-powered Cinema is reflected in the following photographs where you can see a lot of pupils very keen in taking part of this activity!

The last screening took place in schools around Kabale district

Pupils planted guava, mango and orange trees

Pupils were very keen on planting trees at the Kabale schools’ district

Tourists taking pictures of one of the gorillas at the Virungas National Park

Hello, this is Tuver,

Unfortunately the situation at the Virungas National Park here in DR Congo still doesn’t look very good. As you might know, the last couple of months have been very difficult since a militia called M23 occupied the territory, threatening the security of the mountain gorillas living in the park.

The situation has degraded further now since the Mountain Gorilla Sector not only remains occupied by the rebels but also since last week the militia has been in control of the town of Bunagana, located at the border between Uganda and DR Congo. This place is one of the main entry points to the park so it makes the situation even more difficult.

All of these problems suggest the outlook for the rest of this summer is far from good and this is having a devastating impact on the fragile but precious tourism industry here. The authorities at the Virungas National Park have already cancelled all the trips for this month and for August and the situation will be reviewed until the 20^th of July.

I will keep you posted regarding the decision the authorities take for the coming months. In the meantime, I can only hope the situation gets better, especially for our gorillas living in the park.

Tourists watching gorillas in the wild

The Solar Sisters setting up and installing the first solar panel at the maternity ward of the Burusi health clinic

Hi, this is Tuver,

As you know, fighting and general unrest here can make it difficult for us to carry out our work here in DR Congo. Right now, the general insecurity and problems being experienced at Mount Tshiabirimu mean we haven’t been able to transport the solar system equipment we received earlier in the year to the villages of Burusi and Ngitse. As I write this, the equipment is still at Goma but it is secure and all ready to go once the situation gets better.

The good news is that our ladies, the incredible Solar Sisters, already held a demonstration in Burusi to show how the solar panels are put together and how they work. This demonstration was led by the mwami leader of this village and it was a complete success! This first solar panel has already been installed in the maternity ward of the Burusi health clinic, giving this important public health facility a vital source of reliable power.

Once the solar panels and the rest of the equipment arrive in Burrusi and Ngitse, the plan is to solar electrify 50 houses in each of the two villages surrounding Mount Tshiabirimu. This will give local people the opportunity to have electricity in their homes, allowing families to carry on with activities at night and in the early morning.

I would like to thank local radio stations in the area that have been broadcasting programmes explaining the work taking place through this project run by The Gorilla Organization, and I’ll be sure to keep you informed of how this exciting initiative is developing!

The Solar Sisters making sure everything is all ready to electrify the first facility in Burusi

Performers dancing along to traditional african rhythms before the giving of names begins

Hi, this is Tuver,

As you know, last week I attended the eight Kwita Izina, an annual  ceremony where the baby mountain gorillas born over the past 12 months in Rwanda are officially given their names. As I hope you can see from these pictures, the atmosphere of the event was great and it so many people came from across the world celebrate the arrival of these precious babies and learn more about Rwandan culture.

This year on june 16^th, 19 newborn gorillas were given names in Kinigi, the Northern Province of Rwanda. The event was chaired by Pierre Damien Habumuremyi, Prime Minister of Rwanda and I was one of thousands who looked on with joy as selected dignitaries gave the infants their names.

Some of the given names for this year’s newborns were “Icyeza” which means extreme beauty, “Ishimwe” meaning gratitude, “Itazaba” that can be translated into English as light, “Duhirwe” that means let us be lucky and “Kungahara” which means prosperous. Also, this year twins from the Susa group were born, their names “Impeta” and “Umudende” make reference of a very important and high valuable medal in Rwandan culture.

“The giving of the names for newborns remains an occasion of joy and worth celebrating” declared Ms. Rica Rwigamba, head of conservation within Rwanda Development Board (RDB), and boy was she right! There was singing and dancing and then even more dancing well into the night.

About 161 baby gorillas have been named at the Kwita Izina ceremony in Rwanda since the first festival was held  back in 2005, and The Gorilla Organization has been a proud supporter of each one.

Here are some more pictures from this year’s Kwita Izina for you to enjoy…

Presenting the given names of the newborn gorillas

Attendees were keen to learn more about the Gorilla Organization

Hi, this is Tuver,

Along with the main gorilla-naming ceremony, a number of exciting events took place during the last week as part of Kwita Izina. For example, a day before of the giving of the names, in a ceremony called Igitaramo, attendees ate and shared corn with the communities living along the Volcanoes National Park – a great way to get everyone involved in the celebrations!

The naming ceremony of baby gorillas was not only reserved for people living near the Volcanoes National Park and other tourists, but it was also an opportunity for the different organizations that support conservation to share information and news.

An exhibition was organised at the Kigali Serena Hotel to showcase  the efforts and hard work of several NGO’s. The main focus was on sustainable tourism for a greener economy. Different exhibitors had the opportunity to present initiatives that emphasized improving energy efficiency so as to enhance the community livelihood, ecotourism for economic growth and conservation, and other technologies.

On this occasion, The Gorilla Organization had the privilege of showing the technology of solar electrification produced by illiterate women – our incredible Solar Sisters! This project was highly appreciated by the audience and it made it one of the most visited stands during the two days that the exhibition lasted. Ms. Rica Rwigamba, head of conservation within Rwanda Development Board, highlighted the activities that the organization has promoted and developed for the gorillas and the local communities in the past 20 years of its foundation.

Here are a few pictures from that exhibition so you can see for yourselves just how interested people were in our work…

Here's Rica Rwigamba of the Rwanda Development Board learning all about our work

The Gorilla Organization's stand was one of the most visited during the exhibition

Attendees eating locally-grown corn at the Igitaramo ceremony

Local people from Goma picking up rubbish from the streets of the town

Hi, this is Tuver,

To celebrate the World Environment Day, the local communities of Goma in Eastern DR Congo gathered yesterday morning for a special cleaning activity. From children to women and men, we all worked really hard to clean and collect the rubbish left in the streets and the areas surrounding the beach in Goma.

As part of this day’s activities we all walked along the streets to promote the conference that we later on attended at the ISDR GL University. The themes of this special conference were: “Green economy: what are we doing about it?” and “Problems regarding the disposal of plastic rubbish”.

I hope that this activity makes people more sensitive to the importance of the environment as well as help them to keep their surroundings tidy. Have a look at these pictures I took and learn a little more about what happened on that day…

Promoting the Conservation of the Environment and inviting locals to join the conferences

Inviting locals to the cleaning activity of the streets in the town

Attending the conferences about the Green Economy and the Disposal of Plastic Rubbish

Here I am, in the presence of the handsome blackback Rukundo

Hi, this is Tuver,

Despite the insecurity troubling this part of DR Congo, work has to go on as usual. Luckily for me, this meant a trip into the Volcano National Park in Rwanda to check up on the Nyakagezi gorilla group. Actually, I was on my way to Kasese, where I attended a regional meeting of the Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration, so, along with a fellow journalist from Uganda, I seized the opportunity to go and see these amazing gorillas.

As you can see from the pictures that I took, the group is doing well, especially the two youngsters, Marc and Fred, who were playing the whole time I visited – luckily, the silverback Bigingo was patient and didn’t get too annoyed by their antics. And, despite the fact that this groups is not that used to having visitors – it is not open to tourists but has been fully habituated – all the gorillas were completely at ease, meaning I could watch them eat, sleep and play. So, enjoy these pictures and let’s hope the Nyakagezi group continues to go from strength to strength!

Despite not being regularly visited by tourists, the gorillas weren't worried about my presence

The youngsters Marc and Fred were playing under the watchful eye of blackback Bigingo

And here's Bigingo on his own, looking really impressive these days!

Hi, this is Tuver,

Eastern DR Congo is rarely peaceful. However, insecurity in the region has not been as bad as it is right now for some time.

As you may have read in the news or heard on the radio, fighting recently broke out around the edges of the Virunga National Park. Rebels, some of them under the command of General Bosco Ntaganda – who you may know by his nickname ‘The Terminator’ – have been fighting against the Congolese army. While they had been brought into the regular army back in 2009, they have broken away again.

As I write, fighting between the army, who have the support of the UN, and the various militia of the rebels, is continuing just a few miles from the area of the park where the mountain gorillas live. According to our colleagues working in the Virunga National Park, missiles have been fired into the park in an attempt to flush the rebels out of the forest and tragically, one national park ranger was killed after his patrol was ambushed while carrying out their important work.

Unsurprisingly, this new insecurity has caused widespread panic among the communities living right alongside the park. Here in Goma, hundreds of people are arriving every day, fleeing from the fighting and seeking protection in the city. As a result of this rise in displaced peoples, I have seen the prices in the local markets go up over the past few days. Also, people are having to sleep in churches and even schools, meaning children’s education is being disrupted.

I can tell you that, so far, the mountain gorillas have been unharmed, though I’m sure they must have heard the gunfire. However, some of the rangers who usually protect the gorillas are unable to carry out their routine patrols, so it’s a very worrying time for us.

I’m sure you’ll understand that I don’t have any pictures to share with you as it’s just too dangerous to go near to where the fighting is right now. I’ll be sure to let you know if there are any major developments, but all we can do right now is sit tight and hope the fighting ends soon.

The equipment was checked over thoroughly by our resident Solar Sister

Hi, this is Tuver,

So, after months of planning, fundraising and worries, it’s finally happened. Our incredible Solar Sisters have brought electricity to their home villages!

If you’ve been following this remarkable story, then you’ll know that just a few weeks ago, we got a special delivery of high-tech equipment for the Solar Sisters – a special team of ladies who recently spent six months at the Barefoot College in India learning how to become solar power engineers. And you’ll also know that both myself and my colleagues had a stressful time taking delivery of the equipment and getting it released from the customs people here in Goma.

But was all this trouble worth it? You bet it was! The excitement that the arrival of the equipment into the village of Rusayo caused is something that I’ll never forget. Fortunately, as you can see from these pictures, our resident Solar Sister in this village kept a cool head and got to work almost right away, checking the components and getting the panels fitted to the selected homes.

Now, I know I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating; this will make a massive difference to many people’s lives. For example, now that they can switch on an electric light, children here in Rusayo will be able to study after it’s gone dark, and their parents will be able to work past dusk, too, giving them more opportunity to raise money. And let’s not forget that, since they’ll have a reliable source of power for the first time ever, the villagers here will be much less reliant on the resources of the neighbouring national park, which is great news for the gorillas living there!

So, here are a few more pictures I took on that special day in Rusayo village. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the difference the electricity is making here…

The men of the village help unload the heavy solar power equipment from the trucks

And then the ladies get to work installing the solar panels!

Here's Langa, eating as usual! Isn't he magnificent?

Hi, this is Tuver,

Well, firstly, sorry to have left it so long since my last post! The good news is the reason for this is that the Gorilla Organization team here in Goma has been incredibly busy, working together with our amazing Solar Sisters to get solar equipment installed in the small, rural village of Rusayo. I will write a little more about this exciting development in the next couple of days.

For now, I just want to share this picture my friend Dominique, who works at the Kahuzi Biega National Park sent to me a few days ago. This is the silverback Langa. Isn’t he incredible? What’s even more exciting that just this one picture is the news that the Langa gorilla group has now been habituated. This means that, thanks to the patient work of rangers and trackers, they are now unfazed by humans. We hope that tourists will soon be able to visit them, with this helping raise some vital funds which can be used to protect gorillas, as well as other endangered species.

So, if you do visit Kahuzi Biega anytime soon, be sure to say hello to Dominque and, if you see him, say hello to Langa as well!