And what you can do to make a difference

Working with chimpanzees in Africa. Cuddling baby chimps and the cutest baby monkeys. Being able to rescue them and give them a better life. Finding their way to freedom. Helping children who have been through the worst. Giving them a second chance. Making a difference in this world. It’s a dream come true.

Scarred beauty

But hearing these children’s stories also makes you realize the area you’re in. An area that has been so unstable. An area where rebels still hide in the forests and occasionally come out. An area that knows rape and murder. Where you hear shots fired in the night. An area where they have chimps for breakfast. We left our family and friends worrying and by the sound of it with good reason. On the other hand we’re in South Kivu which has been stable for a while now. People are trying to rebuild their country. Everybody wants stability. And like all of us they want good education and job opportunities. What we experience here now is not a country at war. It’s a country with big scars. It’s a poor country in Africa trying to get back on its feet. We feel safe.
It’s also a country with stunning nature, lush green rolling hills filled with exotic flowers, colourful birds and pretty butterflies. A country with friendly people, filled with the sounds of drums and the voices of singing children. A country where people smile at you in the streets. Unpaved streets with barely any cars filled with people and goats instead. A country with spectacular wildlife in endless wild forests. From unruly chimps, friendly bonobos and giant gorillas to the odd okapis, forest elephants and an unimaginable amount of other species.

Cutest baby chimp

For us here at the centre the contradictions go as well, but on a much smaller scale. Insignificant in the big picture, but relevant to us. Trying to adjust to the many mosquito bites, a bush diet that beats all others with hardly any breakfast or lunch or fresh vegetables (don’t go living in Africa if you don’t like beans!) and trying to find our position within the organization. Luckily we came prepared with many extra kg’s 🙂 which are disappearing fast already. On the other hand we’re getting to know all these amazing animals, getting excited about the contribution we can make, being impressed by the great team, the sun is shining and we get to do what we love. To top this all we are being foster parents to baby chimp Juwa Kalole. He is the cutest little guy and ridiculously well-behaved for a young chimp. To be able to help get him healthy, restore his faith in life after all he’s been through is the most rewarding thing you can imagine. Completely in love.

What you can do to change the world

In the meantime baby’s like him keep on coming, their families killed before their eyes. For those who want a better idea of the area we’re in, please watch “Virunga Movie”. It’s about the gorillas in North Kivu, so not our chimps in South Kivu. But it gives an idea of the problems, the danger, the influence of the west and a little insight in the ordeal of the people here. Normal people like you and me who happened to be born in another part of the world. Innocent children who never had a choice but to live through this. This movie doesn’t show how child soldiers are forced to kill their parents so it’s easier to kill others after that. Or how girls under ten are used as sex slaves. Our roommate asked us how we can let this happen. We, the West. I believe the number one reason is because we don’t know. We think it’s an ‘African problem’ and don’t realize the influence of our own governments and companies. Number two is because it’s so big. It feels out of our control. So one thing we all can do, is realize that you make a choice with every product you buy.
You have a choice to be informed and not buy products from ‘bad’ companies. The ones who support rebels, the ones who destroy rainforests, the ones who torture animals, the ones who use slaves in their mines or their factories. Don’t give them your money to support their destructive activities. It can be your chocolate, your petrol, your mobile, your coffee, your clothes, anything you buy! There are good companies out there trying to make a difference, please support them 🙂

If you would like to support us directly to help animals and people here please go to: https://www.gofundme.com/lwiro

“We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place – or not to bother.” ~ Dr. Jane Goodall