The Bwindi Project: Education and Conservation
Donation protected
(Actually, so far I have raised $4120 to cover the $5454 of field-related costs - 76% of the way there! Many donations have been contributed through PayPal or by personal check. Please see the bottom of this proposal for more detailed budget and funding details. Although the field work is completed, I am still aiming to reach my fundraising goal - this additional money will allow me to advance my outreach post-field work. I will update the percentage of funds raised in this first paragraph if it changes).
Hello! My name is Emily de Moor , and for the last six years I have been working as an independent school science teacher in California (the last four of those have been in San Francisco). While I was conducting my geography master’s thesis on the impact of HIV/AIDs on natural resource use in East Africa, I came across an organization called Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) that operates in Uganda and which is led by a rockstar scientist/veterinarian, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. I immediately grew excited by CTPH’s conservation model: implementing public health, educational, and sustainable livelihood programs around protected forests to promote buy-in from local communities while simultaneously using biology to drive conservation strategies. Bingo! Since that time, I have dreamt of visiting Dr. Gladys and CTPH but Ebola outbreaks, COVID-19, and the full-on demands of teaching have delayed that possibility. In the meantime, I have been in communication with the organization and arranged the shipping of used science textbooks to Uganda in spring 2019. I hope to make the trip happen this October 2021, but I need your help to do so.
My plan is to spend four weeks in Uganda participating in an unpaid internship with CTPH, the overarching goals of which include: 1.) to develop a middle school science curriculum module for 7th or 8th grade life science classes (designed predominantly for the US school system, but adaptable to others) that explores the links between gorilla conservation, human health, and tropical forest ecosystem function; 2.) to raise awareness about CTPH’s work by posting details of my trip on social media to inspire others to visit and support CTPH; and 3.) to assist the organization in their mission by providing support on the ground while I am visiting, according to their needs and my expertise.
The science curriculum module would enable students to draw connections between the material they have learned, such as genetics and human body systems, and apply it to the case study of community-based gorilla conservation around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The module would also be an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of Ugandan scientists and integrate a discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the science classroom. Undoubtedly in the US, there is a dearth of science curriculum material in which students of African descent are represented, and a module focusing specifically on Uganda would help remedy this situation. In order to develop this science curriculum module, I plan to be involved in as many different aspects of CTPH's work around the national park as possible, including gorilla monitoring in the field, lab work analyzing gorilla fecal samples, and community outreach. CTPH has developed several community outreach initiatives, include the Village Health and Conservation Teams (VHCTs), the Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), Human and Gorilla Conflict Resolution Teams (HuGos)-Gorilla Guardians, Gorilla Conservation Coffee, and the Impenetrable Kids’ League. I would also like to conduct interviews with various members of the CTPH team, as well as other stakeholders involved in gorilla conservation such as rangers, community members, and the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. Based on my years of teaching, these types of real-world case studies are extremely effective in terms of engaging students in the science classroom; my module would be unique in its focus and design.
In conjunction with the development of the science curriculum module, I also plan to assist CTPH with their activities on the ground and raise awareness about their work through social media. For example, if helpful to the organization, I could contribute to the conservation lessons that CTPH rolls out to youth around the national park in collaboration with the Bwindi Impenetrable Kids’ League. During my interactions with a local school, I could also share my experience regarding how schools in San Francisco re-opened and continued their learning programs during COVID-19. CTPH is in the process of planning my internship activities, but the specifics will only be finalized when I am in-country given the changing nature of COVID restrictions. Throughout the internship, I will be documenting my travels and activities using Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and possibly YouTube. I will post updates about my experience, material and general lesson plans that will be used in the science curriculum module, interview highlights, and travel logistics. My hope is that my posts will encourage support for CTPH, as well as provide ideas that teachers can use to inspire excitement for science and environmental issues.
Given that the focus of the trip will be on gathering material for the curriculum module, flushing out and refining the lesson plans will take place once I have completed my internship. My goal is to publish a booklet of the full curriculum module which will be sold to schools and teachers at a reasonable cost, and 20% of the profit will be donated back to CTPH once my project costs are covered (see below). However, any lesson ideas and general lesson plans developed during the four-week internship will be available online for free, and all video and/or audio clips of interviews conducted with CTPH staff and their connections will be shared with the organization. I am aiming to complete the module booklet by August 2022.
~~The field work aspect of this project is now completed, but the lesson development phase will continue over the next 6-8 months~~
Below you will find an image of the budget I developed for the trip, in collaboration with CTPH. All costs, apart from the GoFundMe commission (dependent on total funds raised), are confirmed and I have receipts for all expenses for which a receipt could be produced. The flight cost included in the budget is for a two-way flight between Boston and Entebbe. I opted to travel by plane to Bwindi from Entebbe (rather than bus) to minimize time on public transport and thereby reduce risk of COVID infection. I also included offsetting the carbon associated with the international flights because I cannot in good conscience embark on a project that aims to raise environmental awareness and emit tons of carbon into the atmosphere in the process. Although not cheap, I believe the cost of room and board at $500/week is very reasonable because it is a remote location and profits go towards supporting gorilla conservation efforts. For every day that I was in Bwindi, I was accompanied by a CTPH staff member. All funds raised have been used and will continue to be used for expenses directly related to this project. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thank you so much in advance for supporting The Bwindi Project!
Budget:
**As of mid-April 2022, I have raised a total of $4120 for this project (~76% of total needed) - a portion of this has been donated via GoFundMe, and the rest has been donated through PayPal, direct deposit to my account, or by paper check. I will update this figure either weekly or after significant donations.
Hello! My name is Emily de Moor , and for the last six years I have been working as an independent school science teacher in California (the last four of those have been in San Francisco). While I was conducting my geography master’s thesis on the impact of HIV/AIDs on natural resource use in East Africa, I came across an organization called Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH) that operates in Uganda and which is led by a rockstar scientist/veterinarian, Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. I immediately grew excited by CTPH’s conservation model: implementing public health, educational, and sustainable livelihood programs around protected forests to promote buy-in from local communities while simultaneously using biology to drive conservation strategies. Bingo! Since that time, I have dreamt of visiting Dr. Gladys and CTPH but Ebola outbreaks, COVID-19, and the full-on demands of teaching have delayed that possibility. In the meantime, I have been in communication with the organization and arranged the shipping of used science textbooks to Uganda in spring 2019. I hope to make the trip happen this October 2021, but I need your help to do so.
My plan is to spend four weeks in Uganda participating in an unpaid internship with CTPH, the overarching goals of which include: 1.) to develop a middle school science curriculum module for 7th or 8th grade life science classes (designed predominantly for the US school system, but adaptable to others) that explores the links between gorilla conservation, human health, and tropical forest ecosystem function; 2.) to raise awareness about CTPH’s work by posting details of my trip on social media to inspire others to visit and support CTPH; and 3.) to assist the organization in their mission by providing support on the ground while I am visiting, according to their needs and my expertise.
The science curriculum module would enable students to draw connections between the material they have learned, such as genetics and human body systems, and apply it to the case study of community-based gorilla conservation around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The module would also be an opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of Ugandan scientists and integrate a discussion of diversity, equity, and inclusion into the science classroom. Undoubtedly in the US, there is a dearth of science curriculum material in which students of African descent are represented, and a module focusing specifically on Uganda would help remedy this situation. In order to develop this science curriculum module, I plan to be involved in as many different aspects of CTPH's work around the national park as possible, including gorilla monitoring in the field, lab work analyzing gorilla fecal samples, and community outreach. CTPH has developed several community outreach initiatives, include the Village Health and Conservation Teams (VHCTs), the Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs), Human and Gorilla Conflict Resolution Teams (HuGos)-Gorilla Guardians, Gorilla Conservation Coffee, and the Impenetrable Kids’ League. I would also like to conduct interviews with various members of the CTPH team, as well as other stakeholders involved in gorilla conservation such as rangers, community members, and the Ugandan Wildlife Authority. Based on my years of teaching, these types of real-world case studies are extremely effective in terms of engaging students in the science classroom; my module would be unique in its focus and design.
In conjunction with the development of the science curriculum module, I also plan to assist CTPH with their activities on the ground and raise awareness about their work through social media. For example, if helpful to the organization, I could contribute to the conservation lessons that CTPH rolls out to youth around the national park in collaboration with the Bwindi Impenetrable Kids’ League. During my interactions with a local school, I could also share my experience regarding how schools in San Francisco re-opened and continued their learning programs during COVID-19. CTPH is in the process of planning my internship activities, but the specifics will only be finalized when I am in-country given the changing nature of COVID restrictions. Throughout the internship, I will be documenting my travels and activities using Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and possibly YouTube. I will post updates about my experience, material and general lesson plans that will be used in the science curriculum module, interview highlights, and travel logistics. My hope is that my posts will encourage support for CTPH, as well as provide ideas that teachers can use to inspire excitement for science and environmental issues.
Given that the focus of the trip will be on gathering material for the curriculum module, flushing out and refining the lesson plans will take place once I have completed my internship. My goal is to publish a booklet of the full curriculum module which will be sold to schools and teachers at a reasonable cost, and 20% of the profit will be donated back to CTPH once my project costs are covered (see below). However, any lesson ideas and general lesson plans developed during the four-week internship will be available online for free, and all video and/or audio clips of interviews conducted with CTPH staff and their connections will be shared with the organization. I am aiming to complete the module booklet by August 2022.
~~The field work aspect of this project is now completed, but the lesson development phase will continue over the next 6-8 months~~
Below you will find an image of the budget I developed for the trip, in collaboration with CTPH. All costs, apart from the GoFundMe commission (dependent on total funds raised), are confirmed and I have receipts for all expenses for which a receipt could be produced. The flight cost included in the budget is for a two-way flight between Boston and Entebbe. I opted to travel by plane to Bwindi from Entebbe (rather than bus) to minimize time on public transport and thereby reduce risk of COVID infection. I also included offsetting the carbon associated with the international flights because I cannot in good conscience embark on a project that aims to raise environmental awareness and emit tons of carbon into the atmosphere in the process. Although not cheap, I believe the cost of room and board at $500/week is very reasonable because it is a remote location and profits go towards supporting gorilla conservation efforts. For every day that I was in Bwindi, I was accompanied by a CTPH staff member. All funds raised have been used and will continue to be used for expenses directly related to this project. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thank you so much in advance for supporting The Bwindi Project!
Budget:
**As of mid-April 2022, I have raised a total of $4120 for this project (~76% of total needed) - a portion of this has been donated via GoFundMe, and the rest has been donated through PayPal, direct deposit to my account, or by paper check. I will update this figure either weekly or after significant donations.
Organizer
Emily de Moor
Organizer
San Francisco, CA