Communities near Kibale Park receive Shs 1.7 billion for the conservation of chimpanzees.
Frontline communities near Kibale National Park in western Uganda have benefited from a project that aims to train about 2000 entrepreneurs in the park, providing them with about US$450,000 (Shs1.7 billion). According to the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the park is well-known for its chimpanzees, elephants and antelopes as well as hundreds of bird species.
The Poverty Alleviation and Removal of Kibale Snares (PARKS) project, which has been running for the last three years, will be expanded because of funding from the Arcus Foundation, which was announced on Earth Day, April 22. In an effort to lessen extreme poverty and protect the critically endangered chimpanzee population, it will reach out to more communities surrounding Kibale National Park.
Launched in 2021 with funding from the Arcus Foundation, the PARKS project is carried out in collaboration with Village Enterprise and Ngogo Chimpanzee Project. Its goals are to protect one of the largest remaining populations of endangered East African chimpanzees and their habitat, as well as to lessen extreme poverty among rural communities near Kibale National Park.
In order to support their families, households in extreme poverty close to the park have frequently turned to illegal hunting and logging because they have no other options for generating sustainable income. Village Enterprise works to provide these communities with training, start-up funding, and ongoing business mentoring so they can establish businesses that do not damage important ecosystems in and around Kibale National Park. The goal is to divert these individuals from these destructive ventures.
Its objectives are to assist households in increasing their incomes, ending the vicious cycle of extreme poverty, and taking on environmental stewardship. A summary of the PARKS initiative states that Village Enterprise has trained more than 3,800 entrepreneurs, with women making up six out of every ten recipients.
These women now know the value of conservation, how to start microbusinesses, and how to save money thanks to the project. According to reports, the training has inspired local entrepreneurs to launch over a thousand eco-friendly micro-enterprises. These include grocery and retail stores, agribusinesses, animal husbandry, and even beekeeping.
Over 20,000 people have been helped to escape extreme poverty through micro-enterprises, and Kibale National Park has seen a decrease in hunting and habitat destruction as a result.
42 new business savings groups will be able to form due to the increased funding. Through loans, these savings groups also give business owners access to more capital, which they can utilize for emergency situations or to grow their companies.
Through the project, the new entrepreneurs are given the tools they need to create a sustainable path out of extreme poverty, increase and stabilize their household income, and eventually become less dependent on money earned through illegal hunting and lumbering inside Kibale National Park.
The Ngogo Chimpanzee Project will be able to run eight two-person anti-poaching patrol teams within the boundaries of Kibale National Park due to the new grant. These patrols will take out snares and discourage people from hunting and illegal logging, which destroys habitat.
