Image source: Greenglobaltravel.com
After writing yesterday’s post about the Darwin Primate Group and the inspiring work of Karin Saks, I spent the rest of the afternoon researching voluntour opportunities with other primate researchers. I found several, though none quite as intimate as the DPG. However, while reading about Dr. Goodall’s recent projects, I stumbled on Roots & Shoots, her community and environmental service initiative in Tanzania.
Jane Goodall is famous for her work with Chimpanzees. Her life has been devoted to helping the animals she studies, and to supporting the countries in which they live. The Jane Goodall Institute is a large organization dedicated to environmental protection, wildlife protection, and improving the lives of people in Africa. It has active projects in Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo and Guinea. These projects include the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, and the Gombe Stream Research Center. Roots & Shoots, the JGI’s volunteer arm, is based in Tanzania. It offers a variety of projects and matches volunteers with opportunities.
Image source: Greenglobaltravel.com
I’ve always been enamored with Jane Goodall. As a young girl fascinated by wildlife, she was a formative role model. She showed me that a small blond woman could go live in the jungle with wild animals and that science is accessible to anyone. You don’t have to be formally trained to be observant or organized or a whistle-blower. She didn’t have a degree of any kind when she started, and she didn’t need one. She learned more than anyone ever had about chimpanzees by watching, being patient, and keeping exhaustive records. That’s what science is all about. She has single handedly protected the Chimpanzees of Gombe with her organization’s efforts to improve environmental conditions and raise awareness about the human threat.
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The JGI run Roots & Shoots volunteer opportunities in Africa run for a minimum of six months. This is one of the things that make Roots & Shoots unique: volunteers become integrated in the communities in which they work. They are given a three to four week orientation before they are placed in one of two locations: Dar es Salaam or Moshi.
The volunteer positions in Tanzania don’t involve wildlife, which I found surprising considering Goodall’s background, but they are all directly linked to wildlife and conservation efforts in the region. For example, the Moshi project includes a fuel-efficient stove initiative to reduce pollution. Both projects include educational initiatives for local people to teach them about ecology and social issues affecting their communities. The educational initiatives also focus on preserving animal populations through community awareness. Roots & Shoots works with young people, organizing field trips for urban kids to Mikumi National Park or to the Uluguru Mountains. There are other grassroots (so to speak) Roots & Shoots groups in 126 countries worldwide.
Image source: Greenglobaltravel.com
Working with the JGI is a great opportunity for someone interested in learning more about the intersection between human and animal populations and between economics and ecology. If you are interested in studying primates, working to address the many challenges they face is a great start.