We have in the last month done a comprehensive review of our projects and we will be leaving some to spread their own wings in 2010 and taking on new ones that we hope in time will be able to do the same. Nicolette Nel has done wonderfully in taking on her new role, and we are very excited to see the inevitable fruits of her hard labour in the new year ahead. Finally, a big word of thanks to our Trustees without whose support and vision so much less would have been achieved. Kodwa manje, iskati imvuyiswayo! From the team at the Nomad African Trust, thanks to you all, have a merry Christmas and awesome new year!

The Jane Goodall Institute

A pity to ending off our year on a low note, but this report just goes to show how necessary our contributors continued support is to the conservation of chimpanzees in Africa.

A recent rescue is a worrying sign that the black-market trade in great apes is flourishing, according to the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). The rescue involved two infant chimpanzees that were confiscated from illegal traders in east Africa have been successfully transferred to the Lwiro sanctuary in the Democratic Republic Congo, where they will be allowed to recover from their ordeal alongside other orphaned primates.

But this latest transfer - which was coordinated by the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA), in partnership with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), Disney's Animal Kingdom, Lwiro personnel, and the Congolese wildlife authority (ICCN) - is troubling evidence that the black-market trade in great apes is flourishing.

Twenty-eight chimpanzees have been confiscated by law enforcement officials in Africa so far in 2009, a fraction of the number experts believe is being smuggled across Africa each year. Yet sanctuaries are rapidly running out of space and funds in order to accommodate new arrivals. 

"PASA is pleased that so many conservation organizations were able to work together to help these two chimpanzees find a permanent home," said Doug Cress, executive director of PASA. "But the marked increase in confiscations this year is alarming, and the strain on the sanctuaries is severe. Clearly, we need to re-double efforts to close down the market for illegally hunted and captured great apes, and focus more resources on protecting the forests."

The two most recent chimpanzees - a pair of males nicknamed "Butembo" and "Loia" had been held for more than a month at the DFGFI office in Butembo, DR Congo, while the details of the transfer were arranged. The chimpanzees are each estimated to be approximately one-and-a-half years old. Both chimpanzees arrived at Lwiro suffering from parasites and malnutrition, but began playing and eating soon after they were taken out of their transport box.

 PASA was founded in 2000 to coordinate activities between primate rescue and rehabilitation centers across Africa. PASA member sanctuaries currently care for over 850 chimpanzees, in addition to almost 3,000 other endangered primates, at 18 facilities in 12 countries. Lwiro is an independent primate rescue center in DR Congo that lies in South Kivu, near the Kahuzi-Biega National Park. Lwiro is expected to apply for PASA membership later this year.

Ngavuma Mpontshini

At Mpontshini School in Ngwavuma, sadly Hlengiwe Mtimkulu left the post of Headmistress, but leaves behind a dedicated staff and a team that is committed to continuing her work. Hlengiwe continues to be engaged with the local community in the town, but has decided to stretch her impact further than her school and is working with the larger community.

The school has had a pretty normal year, whatever constitutes  normal in this remote community, and at least 20 orphans are now cared for at the school. Water remains a major challenge, and the supply is irregular at best. The vegetable gardens do well in summer with the rainy season but produce little or nothing in winter, so we hope to be able to increase water storage capacity for the gardens in 2010. The new library has made a major impact on students and their goal is to get a few computers installed next year, with complete off grid power solutions to drive the system.

The supply of books writing materials and stationary are a major stumbling block but the dedication of the staff remains noteworthy and our thanks go out to the community as a whole and Hlengiwe Mtimkulu in particular.  We'll be doing a photo spread of the project in the new year so stay tuned to our newsletters for visual updates.

Judah Square community

This has also been a big year for the Judah square community with a number of big steps being taken. Probably the best news of the year came as a result of the completion of their educare crèche run by Sister Nancy. The inclusion of a toilet and kitchen has allowed to become recognised by government as an official educational venue and as such they will be able to qualify for increased government support. This in turn will allow them to expand their service to a greater number of kids coming from the Khayalethu township as a whole. 

Obviously, there is still a big need to help the kids directly as well, as many come from homes so poor that they are unable to afford care fees, or any material of their own. To this end the crèche has now also launched the "Adopt-A-Child" program, which we are hoping some of our contributors will be willing to support.
The community has also been selected for a pilot biomass power generation program that will hopefully see them become capable of producing their own electricity requirements. The initial feasibility stages are currently underway and it is hoped that the project will get going as from March next year.   

We hope you've enjoyed this update of our projects, if so, please forward this newsletter onto people that you think might be interested in helping African development, or refer them to the Nomad African Trust website  for more news. Don't be shy to send us a mail at info@nomadafricantrust.co.za if you have any comments or queries. Looking forward to hearing from you, until next time, sala gahle, tot siens!