Footprints Project
Since 2005, travelers like you have helped us change the world through micro-donations.
-
A total of
3886
Travelers
-
donated
$24834.91
(100% funded) -
to help improve
Sustainable Communities
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impacting
270
people -
in
Uganda
Who are we
The Wildlife Conservation Network’s goal is a world where
gorillas and other wildlife are healthy and their habitats are secure, and
where they co-exist with healthy communities. This project improves the health
and hygiene of people living in proximity to gorillas to reduce the likelihood
of spread of zoonotic diseases, such as COVID-19, common flu, tuberculosis,
scabies, intestinal worms and dysentery.
Website: https://wildnet.org/
Issue: Sustainable Communities
Project Background
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bwindi Impenetrable National
Park is home to 43% of the remaining 1,063 endangered mountain gorillas and is
one of two remaining strongholds for the species. Surrounded by some of the
poorest communities in Uganda, with very limited access to health and social
services, the park and its wildlife are under serious threat from human
activity.
The project is aimed at promoting good hygiene and
sanitation practices: clean pit latrines, hand-washing facilities, drinking
boiled water, and encouraging community members to call the Gorilla Guardians
to herd back gorillas when they forage in community land. The project will
promote positive attitudes towards conservation, share information on
sustainable livelihood options, and dispel myths and misconceptions, e.g.,
around eating bush meat considered to be medicinal. By improving people’s
health and knowledge, dependence on natural resources to meet basic needs will
decrease, further reducing threats to gorillas resulting from people entering
the forest.
Conservation Through Public Health engages community volunteers under the mandate of the Ministry of Health and trains them to become Village Health and Conservation Teams (VHCTs) who offer integrated health and conservation communication and health service provision to households and community members. These VHCTs help to increase access to key health services and empower community members to live healthier lives; in so doing, they help to reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission between people and wildlife – including, for example, COVID-19.
Project Objectives
The overall objective of the project is to reduce threats to
the survival of the endangered mountain gorillas through:
1. Training
270 Village Health and Conservation Teams in our ‘model household’ approach
which improves household health and wellbeing and reduces threats to mountain
gorillas.
2. Sensitizing
community leaders in the parishes in our community health approach to ensure
wide buy-in and support.
3. Equipping
270 VHCTs with information education and communication materials, such as
posters and brochures to support behaviour change communication and information
dissemination amongst households.
4. Providing
mentoring and supporting supervision for VHCTs.
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