Binoculars4charity

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After a longer break in our activities, at the end of 2021 we were able to bring eight binoculars to Corporación GAIA, a non-governmental organization in the department of Antioquia (Colombia) that has been working there in nature conservation for more than 20 years. The donated equipment will be mainly used by a network of more than 40 environmental leaders and farmers in a program for the monitoring and conservation of the spectacled bear and other organisms (birds, insects) in the west Andes. Spectacled bears are the only surviving species of bear native to South America, and are classified as vulnerable because of habitat loss. We are happy to support the Corporación GAIA in their efforts for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in Colombia and for generation of knowledge through citizen-science.

We extend the gratitude of GAIA to the donors of the material and make a call for further donations of optic equipment that will strengthen the work of other organizations and projects on nature conservation and environmental education around the world! For more information about the activities of GAIA have a look at their Website and their Facebook page.

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After a long journey, eight binoculars and one spotting scope reached their destination in Kenya. This donation supports the work of the Dawida Biodiversity Conservation Group (DaBiCo), a non-profit organization that operates in the Dawida massif in the Taita Hills. The group was founded in 2012 with the primary goal of mobilizing community members to conserve the forests of the Taita Hills. The mountains are considered one of the global biodiversity hotspots.

DaBiCo currently has 255 voluntary members and over 1000 people who benefit indirectly from its network. DaBiCo is BirdLife’s local partner in the “Taita Hills Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)”.

The optical devices donated by Binoculars4charity support bird monitoring in the IBA and are also used as a means to offer environmental education to school children. Nathaniel Mkombola, Chairman of DaBiCo, said: “The equipment provided by Binoculars4Charity helps immensely to improve our monitoring, training and educational efforts as now more of our group members and school children during outings have access to high-quality binoculars. In the long-term we hope that this will help to gain the support of the local communities for the protection of the remaining cloud forests of the Taita Hills”.

At Binoculars4charity we are delighted with another successful story and grateful for the support from our donors. We wish DaBiCo all the best in their effort for conserving and educating about nature! More information about DaBiCo ‘s activities can be found here and in their Facebook group.

AMALAKA Toda la comunidad escolar esta disfrutando de los nuevos equipos

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Last year we sent 6 binoculars and 2 spotting scopes with tripod on their journey towards Cauca in western Colombia, where the AMALAKA Foundation has been running an agricultural school and looking after a private nature reserve for more than 30 years. AMALAKA is a Swiss-Colombian endeavor in one of the most naturally and culturally rich regions in the country, which unfortunately is badly affected by social and political conflicts. At the school and in the nature reserve, local children and adults can learn about traditional, alternative biological and sustainable methods of agricultural production and get in touch with their natural environment.

In recent years, AMALAKA has developed various activities to protect, document and educate about the local bird fauna. The donation by Binoculars4charity enables bird counts, supports the creation of a local group of birdwatchers of various ages, and is used in festivals that increase the community’s awareness and love for nature and the more than 130 bird species that have so far been registered in the reserve.

AMALAKA and Binoculars4charity are very grateful to all generous donors of the optical devices. You can find a donation report (in spanish) here as PDF. Further information about AMALAKA is available on their website www.amalaka.org as well as on the foundation’s Instagram profile and Facebook page.

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We have good news from Georgia! The 10 binoculars we donated to the organization SABUKO have not only arrived well, but are already being used diligently in various activities. SABUKO is an NGO and BirdLife partner in Georgia, and has been working since 2013 to conserve birds and their habitats in the Caucasus region, raising public awareness of nature and the sustainable use of natural resources.

As part of the new “Urban Bird” campaign, the binoculars donated by Binoculars4charity will connect families and citizens of Tbilisi with the birds around them and will also be used for training young guides and staff in bird identification and other skills that will be valuable for the urban bird walks and waterbird monitoring around Tbilisi. Moreover, the material is also used for educational activities with schoolchildren, such as the observation of the spectacular raptor migration during the bird festival in Batumi or for various nature and bird excursions near Tbilisi.

It is also a great pleasure for us to know that the donated binoculars support SABUKO’s cooperation with other NGOs and thus multiply the scope and benefits of the donations. We invite you to read the full donation report and to learn more about the activities of SABUKO (www.sabuko.ge / SABUKO on Facebook). As always, we would like to thank the donors of the equipment and wish SABUKO all the best for their future projects!

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During our recent trip to Colombia, we had the great privilege of personally handing over a donation from Binoculars4charity to Yarumo Blanco. Yarumo Blanco is an NGO active in the «Santuario de Fauna y Flora Otún-Quimbaya» in the coffee zone of the country. 

The organisation brings together local communities to organize ecotourism activities and services in the National Reserve. As such, it offers job opportunities to people in the region, motivating them to stay in their native region while protecting their environment. The work of Yarumo Blanco is a model in Colombia and has been internationally recognized as one of the «Top 100 Sustainable Destinations» in the world. Yarumo Blanco’s activities include environmental education and awareness raising of local children through regular and enjoyable activities. 

We were delighted to hand over eleven binoculars and go on a birdwatching excursion with Viviana Madrid, the coordinator of the group, and the children. Seeing the gratitude of the children and the community and seeing the use of the equipment live in action confirms the value of the work of Binoculars4charity and motivates us to keep going! As always, we would like to thank the generous donors of the optical devices and wish the Yarumitos many interesting and entertaining observations. More information about Yarumo Blanco’s work can be found on their website or on the organisation’s Facebook page.

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The Mongolian Ornithological Society (MOS) has requested Binoculars4charity for a donation of binoculars and spotting scopes. Founded nearly 20 years ago, the MOS has been committed to ornithological research and bird conservation. The society works closely with the National University in Ulaanbaatar.

Since we would like to support the work of the MOS, we sent 2 spotting scopes including tripod and 4 binoculars to Mongolia. For the logistics we were happy to count on the help of Manuel Schweizer of the Natural History Museum in Bern, who has ongoing collaborations with researchers of the MOS.

The optics have already been used in various projects, including a study on Sand Martins and bird monitoring in a wind farm. In the next few years, the spotting scopes and binoculars will be used in many more projects. Among them are various monitoring schemes, the National Birdwatcher’s Day, which is held annually on 9 September, and the annual World Migratory Bird Day, where schoolchildren in Ulaanbaatar and surrounding townships are learning about the secrets of bird migration. The MOS has sent us a short report with an overview of projects they have planned in the near future (PDF).

We wish the MOS a lot of success in all their activities and would like to pass on their gratitude to the generous donators of the optical devices.

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„Societatea Pentru Protecţia Păsărilor şi a Naturii“ (SPPN, in english “Society for Birds and Nature Protection) is a non-profit organization dedicated to bird and nature conservation in Moldova. It is a young and very active society that aims to study the local avifauna and raise the public awareness about birds in the Republic of Moldova. Among other things, the SPPN has coordinated the national data collection for the new European Breeding Bird Atlas, an ambitious biodiversity monitoring project to document changes in the breeding distribution of all European birds and to provide important data for conservation and political decision-making.

The SPPN is also participating in several other monitoring programs, such as the International Waterbird Census, the Winter Raptor Count and the Common Bird Monitoring, and is planning a Moldavian breeding bird atlas follwing the example of Switzerland. In addition, the SPPN organizes public excursions with the aim of arousing the interest of Moldovans in birds and motivating them to actively participate in their monitoring programs.

Binoculars4charity has supported the SPPN with four binoculars and a spotting scope and is pleased to see how many people were able to take a closer look at the local birds at the 3rd International Bird Day in the city of Kishinau. We are sure that the optical devices will be very well used in all future projects and activities of the SPPN and, as always, thank the generous donors who made this possible! You can find a detailed donation report by the SPPN here.

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WINGS is an organization based in Cluj Napoca, Romania, which aims to awake the interest of kids, youth and their families in their local natural environment. WINGS organizes workshops, excursions and other indoor and outdoor activities to discover, search and observe birds, amphibians, insects, plants, mushrooms, etc. Binoculars4charity has donated 3 binoculars and one spotting scope to the organization for their birdwatching excursions and is glad to see so many happy faces, both big and small! As always, we wish to pass on the gratitude of WINGS to the donors of the equipment. For more information about the activities of the organization WINGS and additional photos visit their Facebook page.

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Last month, volunteers of the “Ecology and Rural Development Society” (ERDS) received 5 binoculars, a spotting scope and 5 bird identification books that Binoculars4charity provided to support their work in western Rajasthan, India. We are very happy to contribute to the long-term efforts of the ERDS for monitoring and protecting the only remaining population of the fascinating, critically endangered Great Indian Bustard. In addition, the organization is committed to raising awareness among the local community about nature and building capacity for a sustainable ornithological tourism in the Thar Desert and the Desert National Park. We wish the ERDS and their volunteers all the best in their work and extend their gratitude to the donors of the equipment!

Hans Ueli Grütter, donor of equipment for Binoculars4charity and former owner of the spotting scope for ERDS, is as happy as we are to see his devices being used by enthusiastic and committed people in meaningful projects. He wrote two blog entries (> “News Blog” > 26th and 29th January 2018) on his website. Binoculars4charity is happy to be able to mediate such win-win-win arrangements (for receivers of the donations, donors and nature). The positive feedback from all sides and the trust of the many people who send us material or monetary donations motivate us to continue our work.

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Last October we sent a parcel with 3 binoculars, 1 spotting scope, 2 compasses and 2 cameras to Rajgath Besant School, a rural school in Varanasi (India) that has been providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children for over 60 years. The school is located in a biodiversity-rich area alongside the Ganga river with abundant birds and mammals, a nearby turtle sanctuary and a mosaic of different habitats. The teachers at the school aim to awaken the inherent interest the children have in nature and to connect them with the natural values in and around their campus. We encountered some problems importing the equipment to India, but in the end the parcel arrived well at its destination and we are very happy to see that the afternoon birding sessions have already begun! We wish the teachers and the pupils diverting and instructive excursions and extend their gratitude to the donors of the equipment.