News from and about Volcanoes Safaris

Education, education, education: the first step towards making this slogan true is to have adequate classrooms.

Mwiko Primary School is situated near theVolcanoes Safaris’ Virunga Lodge in Rwanda. The Lodge has been working with the primary school since 2009, helping to fund improvements and provide school materials.

A generous donation of $6,000 from a Virunga Lodge guest has enabled us to replace the tile roofs of three classrooms with new watertight iron sheets at Mwiko School. Over the last three years we have replaced five roofs and two remain. We aim to finish the last two by the end of 2015. Please support us! $4,000 will finish the rest of the roofs.

Guests from Virunga Lodge have visited the school regularly and have donated books, pencils, pens and uniforms. The school is grateful for their support and we hope other guests will continue supporting them.

The VSPT purchased 30-acres of wetland south of the Kyambura Gorge Lodge in Uganda some years ago. The wetland, which previously had been used as an illegal brick works, is now regenerating rapidly back to its natural state.

VSPT staff and workers from the community have worked to remove invasive shrubs from the wetland, which have been destroying the ecosystem. They have planted papyrus instead to rejuvenate the wetland and provide a better breeding area for birds and aquatic animals.

Three young people have been given training by the VSPT on identifying bird species found in the wetland. In particular, Saidi, one of the trainees at Omwani Training Café, has become a star birder and can identify 184 bird species in a few months!

Every Volcanoes Safaris lodge is continuing to carry out innovative projects. Stay tuned!

The VSPT Team