1. Become a Chimp Guardian and Help Our Own Little ANZAC
At JGIA we have a special way to commemorate ANZAC day. On April 25th 2012, a tiny female chimpanzee arrived at JGI’s Tchimpounga Sanctuary in the DRC. We called her Anzac in honour of the special day and because, like many war veterans, she is missing an arm. Anzac is one of the many victims of the illegal commercial bushmeat trade and was confiscated from a poacher by the Congolese authorities who then turned her over to our care. Today Anzac happily lives with more than 160 other chimpanzees at Tchimpounga, but they need your help.
YOU can make a difference to the lives of our orphaned chimpanzees by becoming a monthly Chimp Guardian. For as little as $25 per month, you will give an orphaned infant their week’s supply of baby formula. Or if you prefer a one-off donation of $100, you can become a Chimp Champion and provide an annual health check for a chimpanzee.
With your help, chimpanzees like Anzac will receive the care that they need to grow and thrive in an environment where they will be protected for the rest of their lives. Become a JGIA Chimp Guardian or Chimp Champion today and make a difference to the lives of our chimpanzees!
2. Peer to Peer Program Helping Young R&S Girls in Uganda
We’re excited to announce that one of our Roots & Shoots Australia members has fundraised more than $3500 for Roots & Shoots Uganda’s Peer to Peer program! These funds will supply 15 schools with scholastic materials and 80 girls with hygiene packs (a backpack, five pairs of underwear, hanging peg, a pack of re-usable pads manufactured by Afripads and soap) enabling them to continue going to school throughout each month.
The Peer to Peer program also supports young women with information on topics including HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive health. We provide training in life-planning skills designed to help girls successfully navigate the challenges of maturing into adulthood. The girls then return to their schools and communities and share what they’ve learned with their peers who are often more comfortable receiving information from people of the same age group rather than adults. The program is based in schools that participate in Roots & Shoots and in communities within proximity to priority wildlife conservation areas.
You can support the Peer to Peer campaign today and to make things happen in your own community, join Roots & Shoots and follow us on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages.
3. JGIA Welcomes a New R&S Coordinator in South Australia
We are excited to announce that we have a new SA R&S Coordinator, Lisa Morrison. When Lisa was just 10 years old, she visited the zoo and was so moved by one of the chimpanzees that she made a promise ”to help him” thus starting her life’s mission to help all living being’s within her reach.
As a zookeeper for more than a decade, Lisa endeavours to be the voice of animals and to give them the best day-to-day life possible. This quest has taken Lisa around the world to many jungles and off-the-grid places, working on the front line to improve the standard of living conditions for animals and connecting people to nature.
Now that she’s settled back in her hometown of Adelaide, Lisa has a strong connection to our local environment and native animals. With children of her own, Lisa has realised the need to empower our next generation for change. As well as her work with R&S, Lisa works as a keeper at Monarto Open Range Zoo, caring for the chimpanzee she made that promise to as a child. Welcome to the JGIA family Lisa!
4. Happy Earth Day 2016 from JGIA
On April 22, JGIA celebrated Earth Day and the theme for this year was “Trees for Earth”. Earth Day was first celebrated in the United States in 1970 and is organised by the Earth Day Network. Its mission is to broaden and diversify the environmental movement worldwide and to mobilise it as the most effective vehicle to build a healthy, sustainable environment, address climate change, and protect the Earth for future generations. With this year’s theme, looking forward to its 50th anniversary, it sets the goal of planting 7.8 billion trees over the next five years.
We hope that you all had a wonderful and meaningful Earth Day and to keep up to date on celebrations at JGIA, keep watching our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages.
5. Dr Jane’s Birthday and Live Chat
A special thanks to all of our supporters who helped us celebrate our inspiring founder by donating and signing Dr Jane’s online card. She had a wonderful day celebrating by spreading the word about Roots & Shoots and the amazing work of our young people around the world in more than 140 countries. We hope that you were one of the more than 8000 people who participated in Jane’s birthday live chat and if you missed it, you can reminisce on ourFacebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Happy Birthday again Dr. Jane and we have a feeling this will be another special year for the JGI family!
