As recent graduates of Environmental Studies programs at the University of Colorado and Portland State University our interest in pursuing this work-study opportunity through the Global Livingston Institute (GLI) lay primarily in the areas of land conservation, wildlife preservation and innovative management strategies.
Overview
Our visit to Rwanda and Uganda strengthened our understanding of how conservation efforts (on behalf of both the land and its wildlife inhabitants) can be enhanced by community development and social integration projects, and it is our hope that the information we share in this paper will be helpful to the Global Livingston Institute as it seeks to further develop its policy perspectives, understanding of the NGO community in the Musanze District of Rwanda and structuring work-study/internship opportunities in that area.
We would also like to thank Aron Mugisha, founder of Safari 2 Gorilla Tours, who made our stay in Uganda highly productive by introducing us to numerous NGOs around the greater Kabale area, enabling us to gain insight into issues facing both Uganda and Rwanda. Finally, we would like to thank each of the NGO leaders we met with, who so willingly accepted and taught us about the work with which they are involved — sharing openly their challenges and successes. The enthusiasm and warm welcome we received at every turn made this work-study an exceptional learning experience. Our appreciation can hardly be conveyed.
It seems important to note that during our two-month stay, tensions within the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) escalated, and military actions and increasingly volatile conditions threatened the relative stability of the region. An estimated 100,000 refugees fled from the DRC to neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, threatening to expose the rifts -- dormant in recent years — but still close to the surface. Time will tell how this situation will unfold, but it was clearly disconcerting and top-of-mind for the people we worked with and met and a sense of foreboding shaped the context 1n which we experienced this region.
With The Gorilla Organization as our primary host in the Musanze area, our ability to contact and learn about other NGOs in the district was somewhat limited. Their primary focus now lies almost entirely on social integration and existence strategies of the communities living around the border of Volcanoes National Park. In recent years they have dialed back their working relationships to one other local NGO: African Initiative for Mankind Progress Organization (AIMPQO). Because direct contact with other local NGO’s was limited, our original objectives necessarily shifted. Predictably the few NGOs we were able to meet within the immediate area, were primarily interested in funding opportunities, as opposed to volunteer support.
Alternatively, our visit to Uganda provided us the opportunity to meet with many NGOs focused primarily on poverty alleviation through education and health, job creation and sustainability. Many of these groups need volunteers, in addition to monetary assistance. These volunteer opportunities include teaching, farming, and child care-giving.
