Koen Van Rompay
I connected with Eric Ndorere, founder of Save Wildlife Uganda, in 2022, through a common friend. I was immediately impressed by his leadership skills and vision. I was impressed hearing stories and seeing the pictures of the Lights for Lions program. This program, which installs strobe lights to keep lions away from livestock farms at night, makes such a big difference to help the farming communities, and also protects lions (which would otherwise be poisoned or speared by villagers). As founder of the USA-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Sahaya International, I decided to get involved and support these programs. Soon, communications with Eric and his team led to the start of the Save Wildlife Uganda Center, initially as a rest stop for tourists (with the best toilets of Uganda!). This then expanded to a women’s handicraft center, Simba Cafe, a vegetable garden, and the training of male reformed poachers to make art.
Over the years, Eric and I have become good friends, and I consider him as a brother. I strongly recommend everyone to support Save Wildlife Uganda, and pay them a visit in person. Eric and Richard are excellent tour guides who will make your journey very comfortable, and a very good learning experience.
Koen Van Rompay, DVM, PhD.
Researcher, University of California, Davis, USA
Founder and Executive Director, Sahaya International, Davis, California, USA