EVENTS & NEWS
WE'RE IN THE NEWS
Via - a new, regular edition featuring news and inspiration from the explorer.land community. Because we all need some conservation and restoration optimism!
"An explorer.land interactive map helps to document and communicate the re-wilding impact and to engage supporters. The call-to-action button links to the successful crowdfunding campaign for the film. The film’s goal is to communicate this impact story, inspire more people to take action, and plant more trees in the Rwenzori landscapes."
Here is a little extract of an interview with Zuleika:
What would you consider to be the most inspiring element of the Rwenzori Rainmakers story for you personally?
Using my creative skills collaboratively to inspire biodiversity protection and reforestation in this beautiful part of the world, which also happens to be the country of my birth, makes me happy. If our trees survive and help mitigate against climate change while also helping endangered wildlife return, I couldn’t have a better project. Equally inspiring is the chance to explore how our characters relate to their environments historically and culturally, but also in the face of climate change as the region is exposed to regular flash floods. Artists the world over are great communicators and tend to challenge issues of the day, but the current question of what world do you want your children to inherit and what are you doing about it is relevant to everyone. Our film hopes to voice personal stories as we capture not only the positive outcomes of how a community project becomes self-sustaining and beneficial but also the challenges they face and must overcome if it is to continue to expand. The dream is for everyone to reforest pockets of their own lands to create a future forested corridor between two regional national parks. This will protect and increase biodiversity and will enable people to live more healthily in harmony with nature. The reality is never as simple as it sounds, but our ‘Rainmakers’ are making a very inspiring start.
NEW CAMPAIGN
Have you checked out our campaign to help bring electricity
and provide tools to our re-wilding community?
In July 2022 as part of our successful crowdfund we planted 1200 trees in Western Uganda, most of which were donated to the villagers.
You can now help us continue this good work as we raise funds to gift tools and contributions to the village electricity project. You will be helping us finalise our film at the same time so please support us through this Buy me a Ko-Fi campaign. Every little helps so please click the blue button for more info. Thank you.
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SUCCESSFUL CROWDFUND
On May 12th 2022 we exceeded our £20,000 target thanks to the support of 109 Backers
This has enabled us to begin our shoot with Talking Film Production and tell stories from the heart of our Rwenzori community in Uganda. It means we shall be planting 1,185 indigenous trees in Uganda with our partners and also supporting their maintenance care through out the dry season to ensure they get a good start.
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A Talk at Trowbridge Traditional Club – 30th July 2024
A fascinating evening with the Trowbridge Traditional Club where Jacqui was able to share our progress to a remarkably receptive audience. Jacqui was wined and dined before standing at the front of the hall and presenting our film project The Rwenzori Rainmakers with additional anecdotes to make them smile. Jacqui said,
“It feels as if we’ve come such a long way with this film and learnt so much along the way that it is always a pleasure to talk about it. I hope our passion came across and more eyes were opened to the importance of re-wilding and climate change, especially in areas most effected by global warming. The film has been a labour of love for four years now for Zuleika and I, and we finally have a long version to enter into film festivals around the world. We start with The Sundance Film Festival in LA at the end of August. Fingers and toes crossed.”
The Trowbridge Traditional Club is a men’s club that was established in Trowbridge, the county town of Wiltshire, in 1980. The club’s motto is “Good food, good friends and good conversation.” I think we hit those targets on Thursday! A special shout out to Richard Knight for inviting Films For Change to talk (Jacqui) and for the lifts there and back and, of course, a big thank you to the club for their donation to our film funds
A COUPLE OF TALKS
Films for Change Tree planting activities in Uganda and the making of 'The Rwenzori Rainmakers'.
- Oxford - Wolvercote Tree Group - 2nd March 2023
We were very warmly received at this inspiring tree Group. Our talk was well attended and they gave us a fine donation towards our tree planting project. THANK YOU ALL. The tree group website tells us it was founded (in 1993) to:
" promote the importance of trees as guardians of the environment. We highlight the need to protect trees and shrubs, maintain the Wolvercote Community Orchard, and support tree planting in and around Wolvercote Ward. WTG. founder John Thompson (1941-2015) was a mover, planter and shaker in the arboreal world. Formerly working for the city as a landscape architect, his mission in life was to create beautiful tree-lined spaces for the benefit of local communities and wildlife. In his 74 years, he planted over 10,000 trees in many projects around the city of Oxford, including the wildlife reserve on Burgess Field, next to Port Meadow. John was instrumental in creating the Forest of Oxford and it was this connection that led to the formation of the Wolvercote Tree Group. The Community Orchard is the longest running project where nearly 80 trees have been planted since 1993"
2. West Ilsley Village.
We were equally delighted to have been warmly received by this village discussion group, for another talk about our film making and trees. It was so encouraging to have so much interest in our work. A big thank you to all who attended or donated.
We are looking forward to many more events like this in future.
Chat and Share Event
With Films for Change and Ugandan film makers
On July 2nd 2022, Jacqui and Zuleika held a training session in Kampala, Uganda very kindly hosted by Xtrim Casting in their garden and organised by our partners Talking Film Production.
Despite the short notice we gave everyone, we were delighted to meet an enthusiastic group of filmmakers and creatives with skills in all aspects of production. After introductions by all, discussions and questions continued for 3 hours (an hour over time) about fundraising, developing ideas and projects, training, collaboration, industry opportunities and more.
What an inspiring crowd, thanks to all who attended and for everyone’s kind hospitality. We are looking forward to many more events like this in future.
15th March 2022 (Ends May 12th)
WE LAUNCHED OUR DOCUMENTARY CROWD FUND ON KICKSTARTER
We want to do our bit to restore environments and as our documentary THE RWENZORI RAINMAKERS is all about re-wilding and reforestation we will help our participants plant trees. This is where you too can help. We are offering tree saplings as rewards which we will plant in your name. Visit our kickstarter to find out all about this exciting project.
We also offer a beautiful photographic book of African people and landscapes by Steve Russell and wonderful sustainable seaweed beauty products from Seatox Seaweed.
And we are delighted that Kickstarter have marked our film plans as a "Project We Love". (Ends May 12th) Please note, we only have until early May to reach our target.
FIND OUT MORE HERE: http://kck.st/3KGTysw
Tuesday April 5th 18.00pm GMT
Archive film Screening and discussion
An online screening of this 30 minute archive film, originally made for the MCR Dunn Nutrition Unit in 1962, that reflects new treatments at the time, of protein deficiency in Ugandan children.
Followed by discussions with expert nutritionist and filmmaker; Prof Roger Whitehead
PLANT TREES WITH US
Pl
Planting trees as part of our fundraising campaign helps us serve a valuable ecological purpose. We will be helping extend the Rwenzori Founders' forest and hospital botanic gardens, which in turn creates habitats for diverse wildlife.
Our supporters who plant trees with us can choose to feature on our photo wall alongside images of their seedlings, and planting trees helps us remain carbon neutral accredited.
Here are more fact sheets we wrote as newsletters mid campaign in which we described the medicinal uses of jack fruit trees - another popular bundle in our successful crowd fund appeal, and, more about acacias:
SPREAD THE WORD TO help save pangolins
The Rwenzori Founders aim to create a sanctuary for endangered animals like the Pangolin. We follow this story to find out if they are successful.
Re-greening Africa is more than the trees, it is about encouraging and restoring community value systems to prevent extinctions, enable ecosystems to be rebuilt to improve biodiversity, human health and the future health of our planet. Pangolins have a tough time but there are people trying to help
For More information check out this article by UWA on Pangolin trafficking by clicking the button below.