Colobus Trust

Category: Fundraising | Date: Apr 09 2009 | By: colobus

It’s no secret that we have been seriously struggling financially. Quite the opposite: we have been crying for help far and wide. We didn’t have much choice. Last year was so bad that we came very very close to shutting down and the only reason for that was the post-election crises in Kenya - something I loathe to write about anymore because like most Kenyans, it broke our hearts to watch our country fall apart and there was absolutely nothing we could do about it.

Hold on…this is supposed to be a happy post! And it is!!! But everything needs a context. So now that’s out of the way, we have some amazing news to share…

The truth is that the Trust managed to hold together because it has a group of very dedicated Directors who have financially and emotionally been there for the staff (and monkeys of course) at all times. We all want to extend our thanks to Luciana Parazzi, Raymond Matiba, Lulu Archer Clark, Elias Kimaru and Jophie Clark for being there through one of the worst periods in history for the Colobus Trust.

Needless to say that we have been applying for emergency funding from various organisations to help us get back on our feet. It never ceases to amaze me how the good news envelopes always arrive at the same time and what a blessing it is! We have just received confirmation from the Eden Wildlife Trust and from the International Primate Protection League (both have been long term supporters of the Colobus Trust) that our grant applications have been approved!

I think it is safe to say that those who do know us, know what we do and why an organisation like ours is so important and therefore very little was asked of us and the Colobus Trust has received the equivalent of US $5,000 from Eden Wildlife Trust and the same amount from the International Primate Protection League (IPPL)! 

A lot of our core activities such as our Animal Rescue Unit, the Education Programmes, maintenance of colobridges and medical supplies have been seriously compromised and often staff have gone sometimes one month if not more without pay. That tells you a lot about the people who work here. We don’t have the same sort of social welfare and security systems in place that most countries in the west do and a salary in Kenya feeds more than just you and your family - one person earning is often a blessing to the entire community that person is from.

The grants received will now give us the breathing space that we desperately needed and ensure some of our core activities particularly the animal rescue unit and maintenance of colobridges will be secure and thus allow us to start focusing again on our outreach education programmes and so many other areas that have been neglected or compromised. It also gives us a chance to now focus on putting some long term conservation strategies and proposals together. You have no idea how grateful we are!

One of things I love most about working with small organisations is that every little detail counts and every dollar that is donated means just as much as the larger donations. I want to take the opportunity to thank the people who donated in the month of March: Constanze, Roxanne, Hans, J.J, Collin, Nicholas, Mina, Colleen, Sima, Anthony, Louise, Michelle, Pirjo and Susan. Thank you all! 

Tags: Eden Wildlife Trust, Grants, International Primate Protection League

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