Uganda

Giving back to protect the Silverbacks

Supporting the Uganda Wildlife Authority

During the Covid pandemic, many organizations found it difficult maintain operations. This was never more evident than in the forests of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The loss of tourism dollars led to reduced patrols by anti-poaching rangers, which resulted in the killing of an iconic silverback gorilla named Rafiki. That’s when the KAI Foundation stepped in.

Location
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Established
June 17, 2020

How It Came To Be

The global shutdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic temporarily eliminated tourism to Uganda. The anti-poaching units operated by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) depend on the incoming tourism dollars to fund their efforts to stop the killing of Uganda’s wildlife. Due to the decrease in funding, the UWA patrols were only operating at 60% of their normal capacity, resulting in increased opportunity for poachers.
Unfortunately this fear became a reality on June 1, 2020, when a well-known and beloved silverback gorilla named Rafiki was killed by a poacher in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.
The Kartagener family was deeply saddened by the tragic news and wanted to find a way to help to ensure that the population of the endangered mountain gorillas did not suffer any further losses.
The KAI Foundation made contact with the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) with the assistance of our partners on the ground in Uganda. Through a series of calls, it became clear that the abrupt cutoff of tourism quickly dried up the cash flow that was used to equip the anti-poaching rangers with the necessary supplies to make their regular rounds and effectively keep poaching in check.
The Foundation quickly decided to organize a raffle to raise funds for UWA, so they could return to their normal patrols. We secured two gorilla trekking permits ($1,400 value) from UWA and sold raffle tickets to our network of donors, family, friends, and industry colleagues.
It only costs US$20 - $25/day to cover a rangers salary, food rations, protective gear and first aid kits, so we sold raffles for $25 and raised more than $7,700 for the cause.
The funds were sent to Uganda and thanks to the KAI Foundation’s efforts, the UWA was able to operate normal patrols for approximately two months solely on our contribution.
Even after the raffle concluded, people learned of our efforts and continued to send donations, which further increased our impact.
The winner of the raffle was able to travel to Uganda the following year and view the wildlife that her contributions to the Foundation helped preserve.
In terms of the situation in Uganda, fortunately Rafiki was the only known case of a gorilla being poached over the pandemic period, and the man responsible for his death was arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison.
While this initiative was a one-time project by the KAI Foundation, we remain very active in Uganda tourism, and through these efforts we continue to help various causes through out partners based in Kampala. We are currently supporting the Kibira Project, a reforestation effort in Kibale Forest National Park & Awegys Secondar School in Kampala.

Where We’re At

Uganda Wildlife Authority

The KAI Foundation contributed nearly $10,000 to UWA, which helped them resume normal anti-poaching patrols in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Fortunately Rafiki was the only known case of a gorilla being poached over the pandemic period, and the man responsible for his death was arrested and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

KAI continues to promote Uganda as a top tourism destination and the funds collected for gorilla trekking permits go directly to the conservation efforts of the UWA and other organizations critical to the well-being of Uganda’s gorilla population.

Commitment to Conservation

In the years since the fundraiser to support UWA’s anti-poaching efforts, the KAI Foundation has remained engaged with our friends in Uganda and have been actively supporting several initiatives.

We are currently supporting the Kibira Project, a reforestation initiative on the border of Kibale Forest National Park battling the deforestation occurring in Uganda while also offsetting carbon emissions generated when flying to Uganda.

The KAI Foundation also supports Awegys Secondary School, which was founded by our dear friends, by donating computers and other supplies every year.

Bags of supplies, compliments of KAI Foundation

Make a difference.

No amount is too small to make a big impact.

DONATE NOW