Charities collaborate in UK Aid Match campaign to protect Ugandan national park
Melanie May | 23 January 2020 | News
South West charities Send A Cow and Tusk have joined forces in a project to protect Uganda’s oldest and largest national park, Murchison Falls, and are collaborating in a UK Aid Match campaign to fund it.
The Living with Wildlife Appeal is a partnership between Bath-based Send a Cow, which supports families in rural Africa, and the African conservation charity, Tusk, based in Dorset.
Working together, the two organisations hope to raise £760,000 for a new project to support over 7,000 vulnerable families living on the outskirts of the National Park and protect the animals that live within it. The appeal runs until 14 April, and has the backing of the UK government, which will double all donations made before this date through UK Aid Match. Funds raised will also support similar work across Africa.
The Living with Wildlife Appeal will train over 7,000 families to grow their own food and create sustainable ways of making a living. Families and young people in the area will also be supported to start their own small businesses and learn vocational skills, such as agroforestry and construction, to help them find sustainable ways of making a living that don’t endanger wildlife.
Supporting the Appeal is explorer, writer and photographer Levison Wood FRGS who visited the National Park while filming his documentary, Walking the Nile.
He said:
‘‘Poverty is threatening the Park. With limited sources of income and food, some families lay traps in the hope of catching bushmeat to feed their families and sell in the market. However, traps are indiscriminate and endangered wildlife such as the Rothschild’s giraffe are getting caught instead, becoming maimed or even killed. With fewer than 2,000 Rothschild’s giraffes remaining in the wild, we must act now to protect future generations.’’
International Development Secretary Alok Sharma said:
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“I am proud that UK aid is backing the Living with Wildlife Appeal to help build sustainable businesses in Uganda that will work to preserve the country’s unique natural environment. Through UK aid the government will double donations from the British public, meaning their generosity will go twice as far.”
Main image: 52 year-old Joska who lives in Northern Uganda and received the support of Send a Cow after her husband died, leaving her struggling to provide for her children.
More on UK Aid Match:
UK Aid Match appeal round up November 2019
CBM wins first UK Aid Match for new appeal February 2019
DfID seeks wildlife & conservation charities in £20m UK Aid Match round October 2018
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.