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Usually we are talking about the work of the rangers on this blog and for good reason, as they are the ones putting their lives at risk for the vital protection of this precious but vulnerable park. However, today we are going to focus on the women in the rangers’ lives, as behind every great man is a great woman. It is the support that these women give their husbands and children on a daily basis that help them go on to achieve great things in life.

Thursday March 8^th is International Women’s day and we would like to raise $600 to contribute towards the celebrations to recognise all the work that the women of ICCN have done to support our rangers over the years. There are about 160 women living within the 3 main stations of the park who will benefit from this contribution.

To the top-right of this post, you can choose the amount to donate in the drop-down menu below the barometer, and click the red “Donate” button which will take you to Paypal. You can pay there by various methods, including credit cards.

The money raised will be used to purchase supplies for the celebrations including beautiful traditional Congolese material that is used to make matching outfits for the women, who will wear them with pride and as a symbol of unity while singing and dancing together throughout the day.

Women all around the world face many hardships, but the women of Congo have seen more than their fair share in recent years, including events that have unfortunately led to DRCongo being labelled the rape capital of the world.

Despite these hardships I have been amazed by the grace that these women always carry themselves with. Like birds of paradise they fill the land with colour and beauty when wearing the bright fabrics synonymous with this country. They work extremely hard in their daily lives but are quick to laugh and sing with such intensity it can only be described as infectious. International Women’s day is a chance for the women of DRCongo to commemorate all the positive aspects of women, to celebrate what they have achieved and to show that they are unified together.

By donating something towards this event we can let the women of ICCN know that we are forever grateful for their vital support of our rangers of the past, present and no doubt in the future too.

We often blog about the death of Rangers in Virunga – each time it is devastating event that permeates life throughout the park. Over 125 have died in the last 10 years in the line of service. This is a significant number – and as significant is the number of widows and fatherless children who are left to struggle. We at ICCN try to assist them as much as possible, with a one-off payment to start with. This has largely been possible thanks to your support on this website – your donations have been extremely generous and made an enormous difference to our over-stretched resources.

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I am now back in Virunga, with baby Alexander in tow. I got back last week - after a few months away that simply flew by. I shan’t overload you with photos of Alexander (Alexandre for you francophones!) but here is one I thought you may chuckle at.

Adele is his new nanny - and she seems to be adapting as swiftly as Alexander.

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In the Congo of today, the death of a husband plunges a family into poverty.

We’ve received a significant donation from the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP) to help the widows of the rangers who have died protecting the park.  Over 130 rangers have died, many of these during the war, and because of the situation, we were unable to provide them with any kind of support.

Life has been extremely hard for these women, who’s husbands made the ultimate sacrifice.  They were with us last year, when we evacuated Rumangabo during the fighting.  They remain with us, and are considered part of the Virunga “family”, but they don’t receive any financial help, and many of them are homeless, but for the makeshift accomodation that is prepared for them on the station. Read the full story »

I am pleased to report the news that on Thursday at 3:17 AM Virginia gave birth to a healthy boy in London. He is called Serafin and weighed in at 3.6 kg (7.9 pounds). Both mother and son are doing fine.

William and Samantha have just sent us this picture of their son, who they have named Alexandre.

Looks like we have a new recruit!

I am pleased to announce that on Saturday at 5 AM Samantha gave birth to a healthy baby boy at St Thomas Hospital in London. The as yet un-named baby weighed in at 9.2 pounds and father William is over the moon.

The Rangers here at Bukima sent this video message to the new parents:

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Recently we have been telling you a lot of bad news, so I thought I would inform you of a happy event that took place last Sunday:

Beatrice Ndakasi is our staff secretary at Rumangabo Station and she gave birth to a healthy girl called Leticia.

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And that would be a human baby! Not a gorilla, nor a chimp, nor any other kind of primate that may be found in the Congo wilderness.

Yes - William and I are due to be parents on June 2nd. So in 2 weeks. (Sorry - no photo of protuding belly!) This means I will be visibly absent from the blog for June, July and August. I will still follow what is going on - the ups and downs, the hiccups and the successes - but just from a slightly further distance than usual. I am now in London and will be back in Congo and back in the saddle by mid to late September.

I shall post a photo undoubtedly of the new arrival - we don’t yet know if it is a boy or a girl. A dear friend has already sent me baby grows with the Virunga logo emblazened on the front - so for better or worse it will be very hard for me to forget what is going on in the park! It has been a pretty interesting pregnancy I think, being in Congo - as most people logically assume that us muzungus came out of 4×4s and planes. Mostly it doesn’t even cross their mind that we procreate in the same way! So lots of comments, questions, surprise, curiosity…

I hope to see the Protect the Park project improve in leaps and bounds with more and more plots sponsored, and of course the briquette program, a park-changing project that is so important to all of us. We have nearly reached our fundraising target which is exciting. The gorillas and other wildlife of Virunga will never be far from my mind - Diddy and Innocent and others are on the Google Talk regularly to tell me what is going on!

Thanks again for all your comments, donations, awareness raising and overwhelming support for what these brave and talented Rangers are trying to achieve. Catch you all later… Samantha

This afternoon I saw Ranger Janvier Bizimana right after he was discharged from the hospital where he was treated after being attacked by a machete-wielding poacher.

Janvier was picked up from the hospital by his wife Therese and baby daughter Rosette. As you can see his hands are heavily bandaged and will take a while to heal.

I showed Janvier Monday’s blog post. He speaks a little English and was really touched when he read the comments from people from all over the world. He asked me to pass on his thanks to all of those who wished him well and a speedy recovery.

Baby Rosette was happy to be reunited with her father