Worms Gone Wild

We are dedicated to conserving the natural areas where we work and uplifting the communities with which we work. We do so by supporting community-led projects and leveraging our privilege as US researchers (e.g., access to grant opportunities) to fortify and execute these projects.

We partner with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority and the African Wildlife Foundation on sustainable development projects that contribute positively to the economic growth of the people living in and around the Simien Mountains National Park while protecting the unique flora and fauna of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We are currently working with the ASU Chapter of Engineers Without Borders to build a small-scale plastic recycling workshop at Debark University. This workshop will address the plastic waste generated by tourists in the park, will provide Debark University students with hands-on conservation and community project access, and will produce items from plastic waste that community members can sell to tourists for a profit. ASU students will pair with engineering students from the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology to build the machines in order to maximize the number of people who benefit from every component of this project. We are funded by the Beagle Charitable Foundation, ASU-Engineers Without Borders, and grassroots campaigns for this work.

With our partners, we also lead monthly ‘clean-up’ programs. These programs provide stipends for community members to maintain designated areas of the park on a monthly basis, which creates sustainable jobs in the conservation sector while actively contributing to the health of the Simien Mountains National Park flora and fauna. This program is funded by the Beagle Charitable Foundation and the Rapid Relief Facility as well as through grassroots funding.

We work with a local village, Muchinka, to offer a Science, Maths, and Conservation club for high-school girls. Through grassroots fundraising, we provide scholarships for young women from this community to finish their education and cultivate investment in biodiversity.

Please see savethesimiens.org and kasankababoonproject.org for more information about ongoing projects and how to contribute.