Fifteen new fundraisers in East Africa!

Fifteen young conservationists from six East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Ethiopia) successfully completed a project development, proposal writing and fundraising workshop at Mpala Research Centre in Kenya from 22-26 October.
The workshop was organized by the Conservation Leadership Programme (CLP), a partnership of BirdLife International, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. These four organizations work together to promote the development of future leaders and ensure they have the skills and knowledge to address the most pressing conservation issues of our time. The CLP provides a range of awards, training and mentoring support via an active international network of practitioners.
Hard work
All participants at the Mpala workshop worked extraordinarily hard. Not only did they attend lectures, applied the new tools they had learned to their own project situations, and participated in sometimes quite challenging role plays; each of them also worked up a complete project proposal during the 5-day course, which was then reviewed by external experts.
“It was one of the best organised and fruitful workshops I’ve ever attended!” said Landry from Burundi. Catherine from Rwanda added: “I’ve learnt a lot from everybody. My fellow students inspired me a lot, like in Rwanda, we have a lot to do, especially about involving the youth, but they proved to me it was possible! It was amazing to see that and to live that passion.”
All participants are encouraged to submit their proposal to either the CLP Awards or to other small grant donors, and will continue to receive support from the workshop facilitators. It is hoped that they will all be very successful in raising money for the conservation of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians, trees and other biodiversity in East Africa!
About the CLP
Since 1985, the Conservation Leadership Programme has supported and encouraged thousands of young conservation leaders who aim to address global biodiversity priorities at a local level. The CLP has been an important stepping stone for over 2500 individuals and has helped to facilitate the re-discovery or discovery of over 120 species new to science, the designation of 60 sites as new protected areas or important for global biodiversity, establishing of 23 new NGOs, knowledge sharing and collaboration, and the creation of mechanisms for long-term conservation. See www.conservationleadershipprogramme.org for more details.