On December 13, while showing primary school children the gorilla footage that Keiko has been taking for many years, she talked about various topics such as, “What kind of life do gorillas live in the forest?”, “Why is it important to protect gorillas?”, and “If a gorilla stares at you, you have to stare back at them.” Even among children who live near Volcanoes National Park, where gorillas live, there are actually very few who have actually seen a gorilla with their own eyes. The children’s eyes lit up as they watched the gorilla footage and they were very happy.

This time, we visited an elementary school in the district of Rushubi. This area has been designated as an expansion site in the national park expansion plan being promoted by the government. Therefore, the people of this area will eventually have to be relocated. In order to gain their understanding and cooperation in expanding the park, it is essential that they first learn what kind of animals gorillas are and understand the need to protect them.

“We want today’s primary school students, who will be the leaders of the next generation, to learn about the environment by showing them videos of gorillas.”
This was a request we had been receiving from the national park and school officials for some time, but this time, in cooperation with the local NGO Muhisimbi, we were able to carry it out for the first time.

We also received positive feedback from Mr. Joseph (the man in the green coat), who is in charge of overseeing all the primary school education around Volcanoes National Park.

The children sang a welcome song for us. They’re full of energy!