Join the 2027 Kasiisi Project LiA!

Looking to make a difference? Join the 2027 Kasiisi Project LiA to help improve school and village health in rural Uganda. 

Work on real-world problems affecting people living in rural western Uganda and conservation issues affecting Kibale National Park. Your contributions will support health programmes in schools, including hygiene initiatives to reduce respiratory outbreaks in schools, teaching about important health topics such as puberty and proper nutrition, and training students to make reusable menstrual pads, helping to keep adolescent girls in school. 

This is your opportunity to be part of long-term solutions that improve the health and well-being of communities while also supporting conservation efforts in the beautiful Kibale National Park!  Learn more below! 

PROJECT 1: SCHOOL AND VILLAGE HEALTH

Project Summary

In 2027, Kasiisi Project and its Ugandan partner, the Kibale Forest Schools Program (KFSP) will partner with Laidlaw Foundation’s Leadership in Action (LiA) program on a project that works to improve school and village health in rural Uganda. This project is part of Ugandan-led work around Kibale National Park that has been ongoing for 30 years. Currently, the school health program focuses on improving handwashing hygiene to reduce respiratory outbreaks in schools, teaching about important health topics such as puberty and proper nutrition, and training students to make reusable menstrual pads to help keep adolescent girls in school. LiA Scholars will support this work as well as our mobile clinic that provides medical services and conservation activities to remote villages around the national park.

Kasiisi Project's Mission

Nestled in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda, Kibale National Park stands as one of East Africa's last remaining mid-altitude rainforests. Celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity and conservation value, Kibale boasts the highest diversity and density of primates in the region, including Uganda's largest population of endangered chimpanzees. The future of this forest and its wildlife is closely tied to the well-being of the surrounding communities, a delicate balance that grows ever more precarious as the local human population expands.

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with nearly half of its citizens under the age of 17. Consequently, the country’s youth will play a crucial role in shaping the future of its natural heritage, including the preservation of Kibale National Park. However, young people living in rural areas like those surrounding Kibale face significant challenges that threaten their potential, with the most pressing issue being the lack of access to quality education.

The Kasiisi Project's mission is to conserve Kibale National Park in Uganda by promoting education, health, and conservation action in communities around the park. Through our Ugandan NGO, the Kibale Forest Schools Program (KFSP), the Kasiisi Project partners with 16 forest-edge primary schools, reaching an average of 9,200 children each year plus their families and 170 communities living within 5km of the park boundary. Its programs have transformed the lives of people in this area, resulting in strong local support and leadership in the organization. Kasiisi Project's team on the ground consists entirely of Ugandans, almost exclusively from the communities that we serve. Kasiisi Project schools are recognized as the best in the region, and its long-term efforts have been critical to the conservation of Kibale National Park, one of Uganda's most important natural treasures.

Founded in 1997 as an extension of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, The Kasiisi Project was established to improve educational opportunities for children living along the densely populated western border of Kibale. What began as an initiative to enhance the infrastructure of existing schools quickly evolved into a more holistic approach, focused on ensuring that schools could offer the highest quality education to their students. Today, The Kasiisi Project now operates using three strategic pillars (Education, Health, and Conservation) with the aim of strengthening schools, supporting healthier communities and fostering a new generation of Ugandan conservationists, all with the goal of conserving Kibale National Park and its native wildlife.

What to expect?

1. A new and challenging environment: Our project is located in rural western Uganda in the foothills of the beautiful Rwenzori Mountains. This is a stunning landscape and home to some of the world’s most iconic wildlife, like chimpanzees and elephants. It is also home to the Batooro people, a Bantu ethnic tribe, who are mainly subsistence farmers and are known for their unique cultural practices, such as the Empaako (pet name) naming system. Poverty here is widespread and most people do not have power or running water and have limited access to healthcare and educational opportunities. LiA Scholars will be living in simple but comfortable accommodations at one of our schools where there is electricity but no running water in the main home. In addition, internet access can be intermittent. Work will be in school and community settings, including in very remote areas.
2. Cross-cultural exchange: Over 6 weeks, LiA Scholars will work under and closely with our Ugandan leadership, which will allow for cross-cultural exchange of ideas. This project also involves interviewing local experts and stakeholders, collecting data, and interacting with kids in schools and adults in community settings. At the end of the summer, the students will present their work to the larger community including our staff, parents, government officials and researchers.
3. Make a difference: LiA Scholars will be working on real-world problems affecting people living in this part of Uganda and conservation issues affecting Kibale National Park. Therefore, their work will contribute to Kasiisi Project’s long-term efforts to improve health in schools and communities and to conserve the park.
4. Develop and Demonstrate Leadership Skills: LiA Scholars will participate in workshops with local leaders to understand what leadership means in Uganda. They will then use this cultural information along with the leadership training that they have received through the Laidlaw program and implement their training with each of the communities that they are working with as part of their projects.

Laidlaw Attributes Developed During This Project

• Collaboration and team working: builds relationships and networks; works collaboratively and across boundaries; uses emotional intelligence to achieve this; capitalizes on the power of diversity
• Social and cultural intelligence and awareness: able to navigate new and foreign situations; uses this to build relationships and networks

Project Objectives

1. Work closely with our Ugandan team to implement health programming in schools such as after-school education on topics like puberty and nutrition;
2. Support training students to build handwashing stations and make reusable menstrual pads for adolescent girls;
3. Assist with running the Mobile Health Clinic;
4. Teach community members how to build handwashing stations and improved cookstoves.

Other Requirements and Things to Be Aware Of

• Uganda is a multilingual country where dozens of languages are spoken, but English is widely used.
• Students traveling to Uganda are required to be vaccinated against yellow fever. Students should consult with their doctors to get vaccines or boosters recommended for travel in Uganda, such as typhoid, MMR, meningitis, tetanus, and polio. Students are also required to take an antimalarial while in the country. Students will be provided with boiled and filtered drinking water and they should avoid eating uncooked and/or unwashed raw fruits and vegetables. It is recommended that students bring medication for travelers’ diarrhea with them. We will provide a thorough list of other over-the-counter medications and supplies that are recommended.
• In terms of safety, Uganda is generally a safe country for visitors. Students will be given a thorough orientation which outlines any specific risks and expectations. The major concern is road safety and as a result we do not let our students drive, nor are they allowed to ride on the back of motorcycles. Other issues addressed in our orientation are the high rate of HIV infection in Uganda and political issues in recent years.
• As for cultural considerations, the students will not only be supervised by Dr. Emily Otali (a Ugandan woman), but they will also be appointed to teams that are run by our Ugandan staff. These staff members all have significant amounts of experience working with foreign undergraduates in general and LiA Scholars in particular. The students will therefore have a lot of guidance in dealing with local customs.

PROJECT 2: CONSERVATION EDUCATION

Project Summary

In 2027, Kasiisi Project and its Ugandan partner, the Kibale Forest Schools Program (KFSP) will partner with Laidlaw Foundation’s Leadership in Action (LiA) program on a project that provides important conservation education in rural Uganda. This project is part of Ugandan-led work around Kibale National Park that has been ongoing for 30 years. In 2027, the conservation education program will deliver a Conservation Careers speaker series to inspire members of after-school Wildlife Clubs, host activities to celebrate World Chimpanzee Day and Kasiisi Project’s 30th and Kibale Chimpanzee Project’s 40th anniversary celebration and implement activities as part of the corridor reforestation program. LiA Scholars will support and lead on aspects of this planned work by engaging with students and community members.

Kasiisi Project's Mission

Nestled in the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains in western Uganda, Kibale National Park stands as one of East Africa's last remaining mid-altitude rainforests. Celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity and conservation value, Kibale boasts the highest diversity and density of primates in the region, including Uganda's largest population of endangered chimpanzees. The future of this forest and its wildlife is closely tied to the well-being of the surrounding communities, a delicate balance that grows ever more precarious as the local human population expands.

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with nearly half of its citizens under the age of 17. Consequently, the country’s youth will play a crucial role in shaping the future of its natural heritage, including the preservation of Kibale National Park. However, young people living in rural areas like those surrounding Kibale face significant challenges that threaten their potential, with the most pressing issue being the lack of access to quality education.

The Kasiisi Project's mission is to conserve Kibale National Park in Uganda by promoting education, health, and conservation action in communities around the park. Through our Ugandan NGO, the Kibale Forest Schools Program (KFSP), the Kasiisi Project partners with 16 forest-edge primary schools, reaching an average of 9,200 children each year plus their families and 170 communities living within 5km of the park boundary. Its programs have transformed the lives of people in this area, resulting in strong local support and leadership in the organization. Kasiisi Project's team on the ground consists entirely of Ugandans, almost exclusively from the communities that we serve. Kasiisi Project schools are recognized as the best in the region, and its long-term efforts have been critical to the conservation of Kibale National Park, one of Uganda's most important natural treasures.

Founded in 1997 as an extension of the Kibale Chimpanzee Project, The Kasiisi Project was established to improve educational opportunities for children living along the densely populated western border of Kibale. What began as an initiative to enhance the infrastructure of existing schools quickly evolved into a more holistic approach, focused on ensuring that schools could offer the highest quality education to their students. Today, The Kasiisi Project now operates using three strategic pillars (Education, Health, and Conservation) with the aim of strengthening schools, supporting healthier communities and fostering a new generation of Ugandan conservationists, all with the goal of conserving Kibale National Park and its native wildlife.

What to expect?

1. A new and challenging environment: Our project is located in rural western Uganda in the foothills of the beautiful Rwenzori Mountains. This is a stunning landscape and home to some of the world’s most iconic wildlife, like chimpanzees and elephants. It is also home to the Batooro people, a Bantu ethnic tribe, who are mainly subsistence farmers and are known for their unique cultural practices, such as the Empaako (pet name) naming system. Poverty here is widespread and most people do not have power or running water and have limited access to healthcare and educational opportunities. LiA Scholars will be living in simple but comfortable accommodations at one of our schools where there is electricity but no running water in the main home. In addition, internet access can be intermittent. Work will be in school and community settings, including in very remote areas.
2. Cross-cultural exchange: Over 6 weeks, LiA Scholars will work under and closely with our Ugandan leadership, which will allow for cross-cultural exchange of ideas. This project also involves interviewing local experts and stakeholders, collecting data, and interacting with kids in schools and adults in community settings. At the end of the summer, the students will present their work to the larger community including our staff, parents, government officials and researchers.
3. Make a difference: LiA Scholars will be working on real-world problems affecting people living in this part of Uganda and conservation issues affecting Kibale National Park. Therefore, their work will contribute to Kasiisi Project’s long-term efforts to instill a conservation ethic in schools and communities and to conserve the park.
4. Develop and Demonstrate Leadership Skills: LiA Scholars will participate in workshops with local leaders to understand what leadership means in Uganda. They will then use this cultural information along with the leadership training that they have received through the Laidlaw program and implement their training with each of the communities that they are working with as part of their projects.

Project Objectives

1. Work closely with our Ugandan team to deliver conservation education programming for schools including Conservation Careers speaker series for students;
2. Lead a World Chimpanzee Day celebration with schools and the Kibale Chimpanzee Project;
3. Plan events for Kasiisi Project’s 30th and Kibale Chimpanzee Project’s 40th anniversary;
4. Support conservation based activities that take place during mobile medical clinics;
5. Help with monitoring and evaluation and data collection;
6. Support conservation activities associated with the corridor reforestation program.

Other Requirements and Things to Be Aware Of

• Uganda is a multilingual country where dozens of languages are spoken, but English is widely used.
• Students traveling to Uganda are required to be vaccinated against yellow fever. Students should consult with their doctors to get vaccines or boosters recommended for travel in Uganda, such as typhoid, MMR, meningitis, tetanus, and polio. Students are also required to take an antimalarial while in the country. Students will be provided with boiled and filtered drinking water and they should avoid eating uncooked and/or unwashed raw fruits and vegetables. It is recommended that students bring medication for travelers’ diarrhea with them. We will provide a thorough list of other over-the-counter medications and supplies that are recommended.
• In terms of safety, Uganda is generally a safe country for visitors. Students will be given a thorough orientation which outlines any specific risks and expectations. The major concern is road safety and as a result we do not let our students drive, nor are they allowed to ride on the back of motorcycles. Other issues addressed in our orientation are the high rate of HIV infection in Uganda and political issues in recent years.
• As for cultural considerations, the students will not only be supervised by Dr. Emily Otali (a Ugandan woman), but they will also be appointed to teams that are run by our Ugandan staff. These staff members all have significant amounts of experience working with foreign undergraduates in general and LiA Scholars in particular. The students will therefore have a lot of guidance in dealing with local customs.