Conservation and Community support
We Engagi Safaris understand the importance of being pro-active in supporting effective organizations and conservation projects in order to preserve our wildlife and habitats for future generations.
Safari travel is playing one of the most important riles in conservation right now. One of the ways that wildlife and habitats can be preserved is through expanding areas under formal protection and these are often funded by successful tourism initiatives.
Did you know that 20% of your gorilla permit fee goes to supporting the surrounding communities?
On our tours, we use local guides and Ugandan owned lodges where possible to encourage as many funds from your tour go back into the communities.
We include activities on our tours that promote community development.
These can be village walks, cultural performances, buying local souvenirs from local craft shops and by following eco-friendly and sustainable principles as much as we can while on safari.
We are working on several initiatives and projects to help the communities and also working on ways that we and make our future tours more eco-friendly and sustainable.
Please keep an eye on our website and social media pages to keep up to date with our progress.
We are excited to partner and work with two community and conservation projects which we are passionate about. These are the Happy Girls project, The Uganda Bee Project and The Little Angels Uganda, both are based in the southwest Uganda areas where our tour company originates.
This project was founded in 2018 by a Ugandan woman called Harriet Rwosa in the Kabale area of south west Uganda. Where local women make and supply school age girls with reusable sanitary pads to allow them to go to school on their period. Did you know that a girl can be absent from school due to menstruation for 4 days of every 28 days cycle? Which in turn means she loses 13 learning days, the equivalent to 2 weeks of learning every school term. This is because girls from poorer families cannot afford proper period sanitary products and can often resort to unsafe and unhygienic measures such as using old rags or even leaves.
For as little as $10 this project can make and supply a girl with 3 x reusable sanitary pads. This allows her to attend school on her period and not miss out on her education. We are very happy to support and promote this incredible little project which has so far helped over 300 girls! Please visit the happy girls project if you would like to know more www.happygirlsproject.org How can you help? You can help simply by making a donation. From as little as $10 you can support a girl stay in school for a whole year! Or you can bring supplies! We not only want to supply the girls with period pads but also other products that can help them stay hygienic on their period.
The following is a list of much needed supplies for the project and to supply to the girls: Sewing machines (manual singer sewing machines are most wanted), Sewing materials such as press studs/snap fasteners, towel fabric for the pads, Bras (New or good used condition), Underwear (ages 11-20 years old, plain no frills), Wash cloths, Reusable pads(you can bring some from your country). Mini sewing kits(so girls can repair their pads) Also supplies for the schools in general:
School supplies-pens, pencils, chalk, maths sets, dictionaries etc. Sports equipment, Health and hygiene products like plasters, first aid kits. We can take you to meet the project founder Harriet and you can deliver your donations to the schools to see the effect and impact you are making. If you would like to know more about how you can help on your tour or if you have ideas of other things you would like to bring then please get in touch with us today
This project is run by the Lake Katwe Sub County United Bee Keepers Association (LAKASUBA) and was founded in 2015. It is a conservation project which uses beehives as a form of human-wildlife conflict mitigation. The project is situated around the Queen Elizabeth National Park in South West Uganda.
The local communities realized that they were facing trouble with the local wildlife mainly Elephants leaving the park and destroying their crops. Elephants were being poached because of this but the local people did not want to be killing the Elephants, so they came up with the idea of using beehives as a deterrent to keep the Elephants within the park boundaries. Did you know that Elephants are afraid of Bees? Neither did we until we heard about this incredible community project!
The aim of the project is to get as many beehives up and running along the border of the park acting as a fence. So far over 200 beehives have been installed. The bee hives not only deter the elephants and keep the farmers happy as their crops are no longer being destroyed but they also are now providing an income from selling the honey and other related products.
How can you help?
Visit the project/make a donation. You can help by visiting this project on your trip to learn all about what the beekeepers do for wildlife conservation. This project is located on the edge of Queen Elizabeth National Park so is the perfect add on for your safari. You will be taken to one of the main bee apiaries’, hear first-hand from the beekeepers the trouble they face with wildlife and what they are doing to combat it and even taste the delicious honey! The project has now started selling their honey and other related products which you can buy. Or simply donate to help them expand. The project has big plans for the future and the installation of many more bee hives. Bring supplies: Laptops for the project office or cameras for documenting progress and advertising, Sewing machines for making bee suits, Carpentry tools for making beehives, Bee training charts and books, School supplies for local children.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about how you can help this project on your tour.
Little Angels Uganda
Greetings from Engagi Safaris. Hello guys! The future looks bright from our side anyway, here to talk about our local communities that we support and shine a light on the Little Angels Uganda.
Usually, Engagi Safaris and Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort offer 5% of their profits to Little Angels Uganda and here is a brief background of the orphanage and why we picked a certain interest. Little Angels Uganda is an orphanage that was started back in 2010 by Mr. Duncan Musinguzi Nelson who is a heritage of the area and for one believes in giving(as he was brought up that way) The orphanage caters to over 400 children(orphans) between the ages of 3-16 and is built on a foundation of GIVING. Little Angels Uganda provides clothing/shelter and food to the orphans. In addition it provides education to the orphanages. It is a community that uplifts the young ones and gives them hope that tomorrow will be a better day reguardless of the present circumstances. During the 10 years of existing vividly, the fruit of their labor are very outstanding and responsible youth in the area of which we are forever grateful. That’s why when you book a safari with Engagi Safaris or visit Lake Bunyonyi Rock Resort you also have a chance of visiting these beautiful young souls of Little Angels Uganda and see for yourselves what an amazing job Mr Duncan Musinguzi Nelson has done and is continuing to do for the community and kids. And also learn more about how the orphanage operates. We saw for ourselves and we felt obligated to associate/lend a hand as often as we can/must. You can check them out on www.littleangelsuganda.org FaceBookPage @ Little Angels Uganda.
