This week has been incredibly fulfilling and fun! It’s such an exciting experience to contribute to this wonderful project!

Our conservation education team primarily focused on preparing for the upcoming World Chimpanzee Week. World Chimpanzee Day is celebrated every year on July 14th, honoring the day Dr. Jane Goodall arrived in Gombe, Tanzania, to study wild chimpanzees. As our conservation educator Cathy said, “Chimpanzees are our closest relatives, so we celebrate them. We celebrate their behaviors, their way of life, and everything about them—especially since these magnificent creatures are endangered.”

We not only prepared an informative presentation on chimpanzees but also developed two interactive games as teaching methods. In the meantime, we worked hard to update all the plain-looking presentation slides for the staff’s future use.

We also received improved cookstoves that are more eco-friendly compared to traditional ones. Everyone enjoyed playing with bricks and mud while constructing them!

The highlight of this week was the mobile clinic day. We traveled to a remote village, which took about three hours by car. I helped with registration, and I noticed that this area was much more rural than Kasiisi. Many residents had limited education and struggled to speak English, which made communication challenging. However, the park ranger and other volunteers assisted with translation, allowing us to overcome these obstacles successfully.

Our conservation team also gave a presentation to the villagers waiting for medical consultations and to local children. It was heartwarming to see the look of amazement on the kids' faces as they watched a video about chimpanzees. What made it even more enjoyable was demonstrating how to build the improved cookstove. It was an exhilarating experience to share knowledge face-to-face, knowing that this information could genuinely make a difference!

Playing with the kids was definitely the highlight of my week. I gradually made friends with these students and began to remember their names. It was a bittersweet feeling to show them what the world outside their village is like. I could see their curiosity and longing for new experiences, and it made me reflect on the importance of education and connection. I hope to inspire them to dream big and explore the opportunities that lie ahead.