Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page!

I'm turning 45 in April and feel immensely grateful to God for my life. I've experienced deep pain, the loss of my brother Gary, going through cancer myself and healing from it... I've also experienced great joy, the beauty of creation, the beauty of humanity, this amazing planet we call home, this universe... and the blessings of a loving family, dear friends, and mentors from here and all across the globe...  This life that you and I have is an incredible gift!  There were times of confusion and loneliness that my younger self had wished I could disappear from this life. However after recovering from my illness, and falling upwards in my forties, I'm learning to let go of fears, and discover what it means to have acceptance and compassion for self and others.

So... to celebrate my birthday, I want to do something to bless Ghana's Atewa Forest and her people. Will you join me?  

Thank you for being part of my life:) 

Mel

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Atewa Range Forest Reserve in Ghana is internationally
recognized for its gloriously diverse wildlife: 570 butterfly species have been recorded, more than at any other site in West Africa! Mammals include the threatened Geoffroy’s Black-and-White Colobus monkey, Royal Antelope, Bushbuck, Black Duiker, Brush-tailed porcupine, mongooses, genets, civets, squirrels and pangolins. A third of the many amphibians are at risk of extinction.

Atewa contains the headwaters of three river systems, providing clean drinking water for five million Ghanaians, as well as sustaining local industries and agriculture.

Gold mining in operationYet the forest is threatened by a range of human activities. Illegal logging and hunting is widespread. Unlicensed small-scale gold mining pollutes the water sources of downstream forest edge communities and since the hills hold significant bauxite deposits, large-scale commercial mining is an ever-present threat.

Since 2012, A Rocha International and A Rocha Ghana have been working together to assess the threats – strengthening the case for protecting it as a National Park – and address some of the problems. Our research shows that illegal bushmeat hunting is often carried out by forest communities so we are implementing nature-based livelihoods such as farming Grasscutters (Cane Rats) and a native spice called Grains of Paradise.

A Rocha interviewed many miners who see no other way of earning an income. So we are planning to work with a vocational training institute to reskill them, giving miners and the forest a better future.

Please help us to raise £10,000 to support this work!

If we reach our target, we’ll receive an extra £10,000 as matched funding!

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