You wouldn't be reading this if it wasn't for rangers. Yes, it is World Ranger Day, so naturally, you may read this blog to find out about the day. But, this whole blog, the website and the campaign wouldn't be here if we weren't so inspired by the rangers that we've worked with over the years. They are seriously incredible men and women, and we're so proud to support them in every way we can.
Being a ranger isn't easy. It's long days, rough terrains, treacherous situations, and - the reason we started this initiative - not enough resources. A 2019 report by WWF highlighted this loud and clear:
42% bought their own boots and tents;
55% felt that medical treatment if required, was not adequate, and;
60% said that basic necessities provided (water, toilet etc.) are not adequate
On top of this, around 40% of rangers didn't have access to an employee insurance scheme to provide compensation if they were injured or killed at work. With many rangers having spouses and children to care for, and given the precarious situations they face every day, more must be done to provide support for rangers and their families.
Of course, you didn't come here for the stats, but to find out how we're helping. We're continuing to support rangers as much as we can, particularly with the challenges that Covid-19 has brought. In the past 12 months we've bought rations to provide food for rangers on duty in Kenya, helped cover the costs of salaries for rangers in Uganda, and purchased life insurance schemes for almost 1,300 rangers across conservancies in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria. And, there's much more to come.
As many of you know, ForRangers isn't an initiative here to just talk the talk. We're continuing to put ourselves through a whole lot of blood, sweat and many other words that we probably shouldn't write on a blog, to raise awareness of rangers and provide more equipment, training and overall support to these wildlife heroes. We're talking about people who risk their lives every day - the least we can do is endure a few days of pain to help them out.
And if you're not keen, there's a pain-free way for you to support rangers - donate to our World Ranger Day appeal. These brave men and women thoroughly deserve it.
100% of your donation goes to projects that support rangers in sub-Saharan Africa.
Thank you.