Sierra Leone – The Netherlands
November 20, 2020
Sierra Leone’s Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Dutch Sunday Foundation combine forces to protect human and wildlife shared natural habitat: the rainforests of Sierra leone.
November 2020 marks the start of an unique collaboration between Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the Sunday Foundation to educate and strengthen both urban and rural communities of Sierra Leone to preserve their natural habitat – the rainforest – and protect Sierra Leone National Animal: the Chimpanzee.
Sunday Foundation: Help for the most vulnerable people in forgotten places
The Dutch Sunday foundation builds schools for the most vulnerable in forgotten places. Since 2007, 28 schools were built in Sierra Leone for children who used to work in the mines as child slaves, orphans, children of widows, disabled children and children of disabled parents.
For his outstanding efforts, founder Sander de Kramer not only became an official Chief in Sierra Leone, he also won the 2020 prestigious President Franklin D. Roosevelt “Four Freedoms Award”.
Tacugama; A diverse conservation organization
For Tacugama saving chimpanzees is only part of the plan. Initially established to enforce wildlife laws and rescue and rehabilitate orphaned chimpanzees, Tacugama has grown into a diverse conservation organization and is currently involved in 16 of United Nations 17 sustainable development goals.
Caring for close to 100 chimpanzees at the sanctuary, Tacugama is also actively engaged offsite in community outreach, wildlife field research, law enforcement, environmental sustainability, conservation education, alternative livelihoods programs and eco-tourism.
Loma Mountains: A biodiversity hotspot and home to 1000 wild chimpanzees
Tacugama’s founder and director Bala Amarasekaran and Sander de Kramer recently visited the Loma Mountains National Park together. The area is regarded as one of the most biologically-diverse forests in the country of both fauna and flora species and has the highest density of wild chimpanzees anywhere in west and central Africa.
“Raising awareness and educating the communities concerning the dangers of deforestation and poaching wildlife and strengthen the communities through alternative livelihood. It is the only way to preserve the area and help the forgotten communities”, says Bala Amarasekaran.
“With deforestation, logging and encroachment still happening all around us, both wildlife and human life are jeopardized”.
And that is where Tacugama and The Sunday Foundation come together. With joined forces they will combine efforts and knowledge in several (outreach) projects involving schools, education, environment, human development, ecotourism and the protection of Sierra Leone wildlife.
For more information or Live/Skype interviews, please contact:
UK: Aram Kazandijan – TCS Development Manager – aram@tacugama.com
Netherlands: Rowena Facee Schaeffer – TCS Social Media Consultant – rowena@go-ape.nl
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