Introduction

About the Fallen Rangers Fund

The Fallen Rangers Fund was established to provide critical support, employment, and training to the widows and children of those Virunga Rangers killed in the line of duty.

About the Fund

Since the establishment of Virunga as a national park in 1925, over 200 Rangers have lost their lives protecting the wildlife and habitats within the Park, as well as the people living around the Park’s boundaries. Before the Fund was in place, widows received little to no financial support, with their families often becoming severely impoverished.

In 2007, Park management set out to find every widow of a fallen Ranger. Since then, the team has managed to identify nearly all of those Rangers’ families, dating back to 1991, when the regional conflict began.
After the tragic loss of a Ranger, a private fund is immediately established to garner support from our community and all donations towards that fund are given directly to the Ranger’s widow.

For six months after the Ranger’s death, the Park continues to pay the Ranger’s full salary to his widow. After six months, the widow receives a pension to provide additional support as the family adjusts to their new way of life. Widows and their children receive free medical services and schooling which are provided through Park facilities.

  • WidowsTrainingFacilities-scaled
    Training Facilities

    Widows are offered the opportunity to take part in training and employment within the Park’s facilities. The ultimate goal is to help support these women to get beyond bare subsistence living. Equally important is to foster a sense of community and strengthen their optimism for what the future holds.

    Photo credit: Virunga National Park
  • Rumangabo Widow's workshop ladies creating designs
    Rumangabo Sewing Workshop

    At the Rumangabo workshop, opened in September 2016, women are taught sewing—skills from which they can earn a living. They learn to make a wide array of products from curtains, and napkins, toiletries pouches, and cushions covers.

    Photo credit: Virunga National Park
  • Children show they care at Virunga
    Childcare at the Workshop

    A childcare and education facility has been created at the workshops, to further support the families. Widows are also provided with educational opportunities such as reading, writing, and family planning.

    Photo credit: Virunga National Park
  • Mustora Widow's Workshop ladies making their products
    Mutsora Workshop

    The Mutsora Workshop, which opened its doors in September 2017, hosts the widows from the Northern Sector of Virunga. At Mutsora, the women can be found making patchwork quilts and mending Ranger’s uniforms or shoes—contributing to Virunga’s daily life in a variety of ways.

    Photo credit: Virunga National Park
  • Virunga Widows knitting at home
    In-home Employment Options

    For those who prefer to stay at home to look after their children, there are options to train in making small handicrafts such as bracelets and jewellery.

    Photo credit: Virunga National Park
  • plush elephants made at the Widow's workshop
    Workshop Production

    The workshops are now producing items for our tourism shop, large orders for zoos and botanical gardens, and private orders. For information on how to order, please email info@virunga.org

    Photo credit: Virunga National Park

Widows Workshop, Rumangabo

As well as financial support, Virunga endeavors to provide young widows with opportunities for personal development via work-based training within Virunga’s various departments.

Having taken advantage of the scheme, which aims to empower vulnerable women, one electrical engineering graduate now works for Virunga Energies, supplying sustainably produced power to homes and businesses across the region. There are four women currently being trained as chocolatiers in the Virunga Origins chocolate factory, with a further two being equipped with the knowhow for marketing the end product in Goma. In the tourism department, one lady is learning the ropes as a pastry chef while a pair of trainees delve into the world of gastronomy, readying themselves for waves of hungry travelers on the lookout for gorillas.

Other Ways to Donate

DONATE VIA BANK TRANSFER

Bank Transfer

U.S. residents can make a donation through Virunga Friends Fund at CAF America.

(Donations made through this link are eligible for US government tax exemptions to the extent provided by applicable law.)

Our Partners

Geo-Rainforest-Conservation-logo-scaled

GEO Rainforest Conservation and the Virunga Foundation have been partners since 2015. In the beginning, GEO took the lead in funding the Rumangabo workshop, overseeing its construction and fully equipping it. They also provided financial assistance for our widows during the early stages. Today, their support remains strong, with annual equipment donations continuing to bolster the workshop’s operations.