Gorilla

I am posting this on behalf of Tuver, who works for the Gorilla Organisation Fuel-efficient stove project. 

Hi, this is Tuver

Mme. Solange Kavira, a resident of Katoy neighborhood in the city of Goma, arrived on Monday 4th May 2009 at the Office of Aide- Kivu on Masisi Avenue in the town of Goma to convey her thanks for her fuel-efficient stove.

She told Déocard Kalusi (Project Manager of Aide-Kivu), “Thanks for the stove that I purchased from Aide Kivu in July 2008 which allows me to be more efficient. I no longer use 4 bags of embers per month but 1.5 sacks. The performance of this stove is a relief for my home. ”

Mme. Solange said that the stove, called “Jiko Beni”, works so well as it uses a model that reduces fuel use, which reduces costs and enables increased investment in other sectors of life. Ms. Solange also wanted to buy a new stove but was disappointed to see that no more stock is currently available from the Aide-Kivu Gorilla Organization project.

Please donate to enable the spread of more stoves! Thank you!!

I post this on behalf of Tuver, the communications manager of the Gorilla Organization, and blogger for the stoves project.

Hi, this is Tuver,

Madame Helena, a charcoal seller in the little TMK market in Goma, came to complain last Friday about the fall in customers, now that many people in her area are using fuel-efficient stoves distributed from the display room of AIDE-Kivu located in Katindo. She accuses AIDE-Kivu of providing good fuel-efficient stoves to residents of Goma, who are now using less charcoal since they have improved their lifestyle by using these stoves, and in this way reducing the consumption of charcoal and wood coming from the Virunga National Park and its surroundings. This seller told Madame Habamungu Maisirika Docile, who is in charge of promoting and selling the fuel-efficient stoves for AIDE-Kivu, that they are not meeting the demand at the store, as many women are trying out the special “Kenya Jiko” and “Bembeleza” stoves produced through the Gorilla Organization – AIDE-Kivu partnership.

However, she was pleased to see that the stock of these stoves had noticeably reduced at the display room, and told herself to get ready to corner the market during the drop in supply, because these families will not realise how to get themselves this technology that reduces the harmful effects on the natural habitat of our close cousins the gorillas. It is therefore time to act so that AIDE-Kivu are not lacking the materials to produce these modern stoves. Act now!

Another of the expert-selected YoG projects – this one focuses on the currently hardest-hit subspecies: the Eastern Lowland Gorilla.

Introduction: The Eastern Lowland Gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) has probably suffered the greatest losses, in relation to its total population, of all gorilla species over the last 10-15 years. War and conflict in eastern DR Congo are to blame for this, as militias invade protected areas making long-term, steady conservation work practically impossible, and the civilian population is forced by hardship to turn to poaching and habitat destruction for firewood.

Project summary: The main goals of this important project are to reinstate regular monitoring and effective surveillance of the remaining Eastern Lowland Gorilla population throughout the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in eastern DR Congo, which has been largely inaccessible to researchers and rangers due to instability and the presence of various armed factions in this region. The last reliable data on population size and distribution were recorded in 1995, and it is suspected that the population has shrunk dramatically since. New, precise information will be one outcome of this project, enabling intelligent and effective approaches to the conservation of this rare species.

Implementing partners: Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature with experienced international partners: GTZ (German Development Cooperation), WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature), WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) and MGVP (Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project).

Budget: € 283,250 for 12 months

Please support this project, crucial for the survival of the remaining Eastern Lowland Gorillas, by donating.

For all the details, please click here.