Eggs for Apes

James Brooks is twelve years old. He has been campaigning for apes through a project called 1000classrooms that he started a year ago, in conjunction with the Canadian Ape Alliance. His idea is to get 1,000 Western classrooms to each donate three dollars (only pennies per child) to pay for a dozen eggs in Africa.

The eggs are sold by park ranger widows in the Kahuzi Biega Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, so the purchase helps the local economy by supporting a poultry collective, while providing nutritious meals for the children. The goal of "eggs for kids" is to give each child and teacher one egg to eat per day.

As James explains, the project helps with fighting poverty, promoting education, improving health through nutrition, creating global partnerships, and encouraging environmental sustainability. Kahuzi Biega is the park where tourists go to visit the eastern lowland gorillas. Eggs for kids will indirectly help peoples from around the world appreciate indigenous wildlife including flagship species like gorillas.

James interest in apes was first sparked when he was only eight, when he learned about Kanzi, the bonobo who communicates via sign language. Since then he has become more involved with ape issues. He has recently been announced as one of "Twenty Under Twenty" for 2008. This award is given to twenty youth by the Canadian non-profit called Youth in Motion, to honor innovation, leadership, and achievement.

James has recently visited the bonobos at the San Diego Zoo. He says that one of his goals is to see he wants to see all of the bonobos in the United States. We hope to see him someday at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!

For more information on James' project, see http://www.1000classrooms.org/