UGANDA GORILLA PROJECT

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EXPERIENCE See where your fundraising is going by living and volunteering in a school for a week transforming an empty playing field into a vibrant, exciting and creative playground for all.

DISCOVER Trek through the mist of the mountains to come face-to-face with the last remaining silver back mountain gorillas.

EXPLORE Take your journey by foot and boat across the amazing landscapes of Uganda taking on mountains, extinct volcanoes, forests and lakes, with breath-taking views along the way.

UGANDA GORILLA PROJECT 3 weeks experiencing the best Uganda has to offer leaving only footprints and positive development

PREPERTATION: EAP will support you every step of the way with stash; pre-project training, plans, ideas and organised events for fundraising. We also provide advice prior to the trip on climate, culture and general travel; ensuring volunteers are fully supported and prepared for their project.

TREKKING: (4 days): Your trek will take you on a journey through mountains, across extinct volcanoes and in forests, taking time to experience the local culture and traditions along the way. Crossing the lakes and rivers you will learn to use traditional dug-out canoes, all under the instruction of the Home of Edrisa, a Ugandan social enterprise.

GORILLAS: (1 day): On arrival to Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest, Ugandan Wildlife Authority staff will take you trekking through the mist to find the last remaining sliver-back mountain gorillas. The gorillas are completely wild, meaning trekking time is between 2 – 6 hours to come face-to-face with the unforgettable kings of the jungle!

VOLUNTEER: (7 days): Working alongside our professional Ugandan playground building team and the local community, the group will help build an inspiring playground. Giving children that all important space to explore, discover and develop through play, gaining vital skills needed to succeed in the wider world.

EXTENSION TRIP: (3 days): After your weeks exploring and volunteering you will have 3 days to join one of the extension trips we have to offer; you can continue the animal theme by walking with rhinos and seeing the ‘Big Five’ on safari or boost your adrenaline by taking on the white water of the Nile, quad biking or even horse riding. All extensions are done at local prices.

EAST AFRICAN PLAYGROUNDS East African Playgrounds was set up by 2 students in 2009 with just 8 volunteers building 1 playground through Leeds RAG. By maintaining strong ethics, and working with students, the project has grown from strength to strength; working together we aim to make huge changes to the lives of children across Uganda as well as providing long-term employment and training for young adults. EAP was born through RAG and has always worked with universities aiming to give the best experiences to student’s at the most affordable price. This trek not only supports EAP, but also helps Home of Edrisa build schools and Ugandan Wildlife Authority conserve the natural habitat of the gorillas.

PLAY TIME A playground offers children the space to make sense of any problems they might be facing through role play and imaginative games. It is a positive asset for any community, accommodating an array of opportunities in terms of child development and community cohesion. Our playgrounds give children, who otherwise have a difficult life, the chance and the space to have fun. By providing an environment that promotes unstructured play it encourages children to think for themselves thus gaining vital problem solving skills, which are often missing in classroom teaching.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED We do not work with any third party providers in the UK which keeps costs down and transparent. All partners in the trek are Ugandan charities, meaning all funds raised will support worthwhile causes. This is a breakdown of the costs:

Deposit: £100 (covers 25% of Gorilla permit)

Fundraising: £1600 (covers the trek (£300), remaining

Gorilla permit (£200) and a donation to EAP (£1000))

Flights: £550-£700, bought by the volunteers and are refundable. EAP help with this We are recruiting teams of 8-16 people to take on this new and exciting challenge, places are limited so contact carla@eastafricanplaygrounds.org ASAP.

TOTAL COST: £1,700

Including deposit, excluding flights