Fundraiser for Lemur Park Fire

18/10/2019
Margot Lootens

Fundraiser for Single Mother Stall Owner

A fundraiser was recently held as one of the stalls at the lemur park in Ampang caught fire and was destroyed. Fortunately, the fire did not spread to destroy parts of the forest and no people or lemurs were injured. However, the owner of the stall, a single mother, lost all her merchandise which was her entire livelihood. By Monday, the news of the fire had reached camp. Concerned about the woman and her children, we decided to plan a fundraiser to collect money to help rebuild the woman’s stall and get her and her family back on their feet.

So, on Thursday we organized a big barbecue for all volunteers and staff members. Our kitchen ladies, some of the volunteers and staff members all worked together to prepare a delicious lunch with fresh caught fish, zebu brochettes, coconut rice and veggies.

We also managed to get some of the villagers of Ampang and guys from the lemur park to join us and play a game of soccer against the volunteers. In the burning sun at noon, they gave their all. Both teams were unstoppable! Even though both teams played to win, the atmosphere was amazing and the team spirit was high. Afterwards some of the players joined us for the barbecue. So, the fundraiser was not only a great way to raise money, but also for everyday to get to know each other a little better.

The fundraiser turned out to be a great success. Participation to the barbecue and soccer game was optional, but eventually almost all volunteers participated, which we are very grateful for. We are really happy we got to engage with the local community and spend the entire afternoon playing soccer, getting to know each other etc. But eventually the goal was still to raise money for the woman who lost her shop in the lemur park. We managed to raise a considerable amount of money with this initiative and we hope to can assist her in rebuilding her stall.