Please support a worthwhile project

Yusuph Emmanuel (© Martine Wauters)

Action for Swifts is supporting a project to enable a talented young Tanzanian, Yusuph Emmanuel, to travel to the International Swift Conference in Tel Aviv in March.

AfS has agreed to enable UK people to make contributions via its Paypal link and bank account.
[Update - this appeal is now closed - we raised £575 - so Yusuph goes to Tel Aviv - THANK YOU! 

Martine has put a report of Yusuph's visit to Tel Aviv on her blog - use Google Translate to read it in English]

All monies received by AfS will be forwarded to the project.

Other methods of making payments (cheques and bank transfer) to AfS are described here. Please provide a clear reference to "Project Yusuph" with any payment.

For payments outside the UK, please contact Martine

Martine Wauters, whose initiative this is, describes the rationale behind this idea:

I'm contacting you with a call for financial support for an amazing Swift supporter from the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in Tanzania, to whom I would like to give the opportunity of participating in the next International Swift Conference in Tel Aviv.

As some of you may know, Dr Jane Goodall has been supporting my transcontinental Swift projects for years. In 2017, she asked her Tanzanian director to contact me in order to support my “Swifts Without Frontiers” initiative. Last July, I had the honour of making an "inspirational talk" to international "youth leaders" of her Roots & Shoots (R&S) network (a very successful worldwide youth programme), during a yearly summit in Windsor.

One of those 10 delegates, selected out of over 100,000 R&S groups, was Yusuph Emanuel, a 33 year-old Tanzanian from Kigoma. Yusuph had been a very dedicated R&S volunteer since 2000. Since his graduation from the Shinyanga Teachers College in 2013, he has been volunteering for the JGI in Kigoma, in various projects such as planting trees in schools, providing environmental education, raising awareness and love of animals and pursuing other community development activities.

After my presentation, Yusuph was immediately eager to support Swift conservation. Since his return to Tanzania last August, he has been leading an impressive awareness-raising campaign, talking with passion to over 2,500 students, and leading field study expeditions.

Swifts killed by villagers in the region of Kigoma
© Yusuph Emmanuel (R&S Tanzania)

During that field work, he's been finding out about regular cases of massive killing of various species of Swifts and Swallows, that have been traditionally eaten by the local population. He has not only been documenting and reporting this to me, but he's also been fighting with diplomacy and dedication to try and find a sustainable solution.

By helping him to go to Tel Aviv, you would not only allow him to learn a lot during the conference, but also to meet potential partners for future Swift and Swallow conservation in Tanzania. He could also participate with me in some school activities near Tel Aviv, and to be JGI's ambassador at the Swift Welcoming Ceremony, where he would represent R&S partner groups from Belgium, Spain, Scotland and South Africa (a.o.) who have all been participating in my Swifts without Frontiers projects.

He would be the first ever representative from sub Saharan Africa to participate in such a conference, which could open promising perspectives for Swift conservation in the area where those birds spend 9 months of the year, with no or very little conservation measures.

The aim of Swifts Without Frontiers is to help to support such initiatives and transcontinental partnerships in order to know and protect Swifts better throughout their range. As an active member of a world-wide programme dedicated to animal and environment protection, as well as to education and peace promotion, I’m convinced that Yusuph deserves massive support from the “Northern Swift Community”.

You can help by donating funds to cover his accommodation and travel expenses (or « frequent flier miles » if you have some from Air France).  We are still working out costs, but they are likely to be of the order of £1000.

Should there be any funds left over after paying for Yusuph’s trip to Tel Aviv they will be reserved for projects to support Swift and Swallow protection in Tanzania. A nation-wide campaign is being prepared by JGI Tanzania, with the help of Swifts Without Frontiers and the Dar Es Salam University.

You can find more pictures of Yusuph and his activities on my blog:
http://martinew.canalblog.com/archives/2018/01/11/36037260.html
Anyone willing to help can contact Martine in private for practical details.