Community Initiatives
At the Gorilla Safari Company we love and support community and conservation initiatives which have a real and lasting impact on the lives of the local people and widlife in Uganda and Rwanda.
Visiting these inspiring and uplifting projects adds an extra dimension to your time in Africa, giving you the opportunity to experience and learn about daily life in these communities.
Uganda
Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary
Set in the Nakasongola district of Uganda, Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is home to the only wild rhinos found in the country. The sanctuary plays a key role in the Ugandan rhino re-introduction project and is currently home to 22 southern white rhinos. Show more
Ride 4 A Woman
The ‘Ride 4 a Woman’ project supports local women struggling with issues such as HIV, domestic violence and poverty, but it also enables them to develop income-generating skills, thus make a living for themselves and their families. Show more
Bwindi Plus School
In 2015, a locally adopted orphan began raising funds to build a school for the community. Two years later, Bwindi Plus Nursery and Primary School opened. Today, over 200 children receive the best quality education locally. Show more
Batwa Tribe
The Batwa community are one of Africa’s oldest tribes. In 1992 they lost their right to the forested lands they once inhabited. Thanks to the growth in cultural tourism, the Batwa community now have one key avenue to a sustainable income. Show more
Boomu Women’s Group
The Boomu Women’s Group work together for the mutual socio-economic benefit of the surrounding communities. All members are subsistence farmers, so the preliminary aim was to provide another income stream for the families. Show more
Katara Women’s Group
The Katara Women’s Group aimed to promote conservation and provide a source of livelihood for local widowed women. Surrounding elephants were utilised when they began collecting elephant dung and recycling it into a variety of items. Show more
Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary
The Ngamba Island Sanctuary addresses the urgent need for rescuing chimpanzees as well as the growing threats to them in the wild. Today, Ngamba Island is one of the most successful conservation organizations in Uganda. Show more
Nkuringo Women’s Sewing Cooperative
The Nkuringo Culture Centre initiated a women’s sewing machine project by way of developing the area both socially and economically. Starting with just one machine, the project has since grown over time due to generous partner donations. Show more
Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH)
CTPH aims to alleviate poverty and improve rural public health, thus contributing to greater biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in and around Africa’s protected areas. Show more
BikeVentures
Explore the real Uganda on a bicycle, allowing you to engage and immerse yourself with the culture and natural habitats. All profits are allocated to the projects that improve access to income generation, education and health care. Show more
Rwanda
Nyamirambo Women’s Centre
In 2007, the Nyamirambo Centre was founded in order to address the issues of gender violence, gender inequality and discrimination, through the providision of educational and vocational training to impoverished women. Show more
Iby’iwacu Cultural Village
The Iby’iwacu Cultural Village aims to engage with conservation incentives, community enterprise development and livelihood-based schemes for reformed poachers both in and around the Volcanoes National Park. Show more
Red Rocks Centre
Red Rocks aims to plant 500 trees each year to help protect local ecology and conserve scarce resources. Seedlings are purchased on your behalf and then you have the opportunity to plant them. Show more
Gorilla Doctors
Gorilla Doctors is dedicated to gorilla conservation by providing medical care to ill, injured or orphaned Mountain and Grauer’s Gorillas living in the National Parks of Uganda, Rwanda and Republic of Congo. Show more
Dian Fossey Fund
Dian Fossey founded the Karisoke Research Center with the aim of protecting endangered mountain gorillas. Her work continues on and has led to the development of conservation projects for other wildlife and communities. Show more