Global Vision International (GVI) is an ethical volunteering organisation working in partnership with over 150 critical conservation and humanitarian projects worldwide. With staff in 30 countries and thousands of ex-volunteers there are many different stories to tell. This news section gives a brief overview of how you can find out more about GVI, its work and its people, and gives you a sample of some clippings from the international press.
SURVEY PUTS FOREST ON ROAD TO PRESERVATION
22 September 2007
A team of English volunteers have just taken the first step towards saving a unique Kenyan forest and its resident population of endangered Colobus monkeys.
On Monday, September 18, a group of 17 volunteers working as part of a project organised by humanitarian and conservation organisation GVI finished recording every section of the Shimoni Forest, 80km South of Mombasa, on the Kenyan coast – the first step towards allowing the local population to take control of the forest and thus prevent it being chopped down.
Shimoni, whose trees grow on a base of coral exposed due to rising sea levels, is home to a group of rare Colobus monkeys whose habitat would have been threatened had deforestation continued.
Graham Cortie, leader of the expedition, said: “Like most of Kenya, this is a very poor area, and locals had been chopping down the trees for firewood, thus endangering the unique wildlife and the forest itself. However, thanks to the process of ‘transecting’ the forest that we have just completed, we are now on the road to allowing the locals to own the forest in which they live. This will have several positive benefits. Firstly people will become more environmentally aware, and will not want to damage something they now own. Secondly, they can now promote the forest as a tourist area, and bring money into their community. This is a great step forward for a beautiful natural environment and the people who live in it.”
The project was first begun in early January, and is being run by GVI, an organisation which allows ordinary men and women to take part in conservation and humanitarian projects worldwide. Besides mapping the forest, GVI volunteers on the Kenya project researched marine mammals such as Bottlenose Dolphins and Humpback Whales passing through the local coastal waters, relocated elephants to nearby National Parks, and redecorated and upgraded the village’s orphanage.
Graham Cortie said: “This has been one of the most fulfilling projects to have worked on because it has resulted in benefits to the local people, the local wildlife, and the local environment. Shimoni has a dark but important past – it was the first port used in the Kenyan slave trade. It is also home to some magnificent and important caves. Thanks to this project, these pieces of history will remain unchanged, and the people of Shimoni have a little help towards living their way of life the way they want to.”
