President’s update.

Just back from Rwanda, had a great stay, just very busy.

Luckily, the gorillas are doing great and I was actually able to break away from meetings and see them (wearing fabulous Craghoppers gear of course!).

While I was there we distributed school supplies to 1,700 elementary school kids; officially opened our new learning center, which provides computer access and a library to a community of 20,000 people living next to the park; and started building a new maternity centre at the health clinic in that same community. Over 20 Rwandan and international students are working at Karisoke this summer on various research projects, so the place is hopping!

We also started work on a new educational exhibit at the Karisoke headquarters where local partner organizations and schools, as well as tourists can come to learn more about our history and current work.  And last but certainly not least, we have translated HOPE into Kinyarwandan and are taking it around to local communities and hosting movie nights, which are wildly popular.

I also wanted to mention how much the guys love the gear — everywhere I turn it is Craghoppers fleeces and rain gear! Even the guys in Congo, where it isn’t hot, absolutely love the fleeces.

Tara Stoinski, Ph.D. is the President and CEO/Chief Scientific Officer of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.