Celebrate International Women’s Day: Meet Vineeta Gupta

Our famous founder is one of many bold, brilliant, game-changing women at the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI). From the youngest Roots & Shoots members to our global CEO, we are very lucky to have countless curious, compassionate female leaders among us. All courageously committed to creating hope in their communities for the future of our interconnected earth.

Here in Australia we have some particularly inspiring local legends. As we celebrate International Women’s Day together with our global family, this week we will showcase five of them – all tirelessly working towards this year’s theme to #BreakTheBias for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive world. (We could easily have made it fifty).

From leading-edge scientists to social-justice campaigners, global law-transformers to political powerhouses, we hope you are as inspired reading about them – as we are working with them. So, let’s begin.

Vineeta Gupta: Microbiologist, Climate Leader, Campaigner & Organiser 

Vineeta, or Vini, is vital in growing our Roots & Shoots youth empowerment program across Australia.

Currently the State Coordinator for Tasmania, Vini is growing our movement down south to build a community of young, empowered change makers of hope. 100% voluntarily, she’s driven by her own deep passion for environmentalism, alongside studying Microbiology at the University of Tasmania, working as a researcher and campaigning with the Australian Youth Climate Coalition plus she’s Climate Reality Leader.

Previously Vini was part of our dynamic National Youth Leadership Council training program. Every year we recruit a collective of incredible young people to learn skills, gain confidence, build networks and develop direction as future environmental leaders. As an engaged, enterprising member she was offered the long-term oppurtunitiy to build Roots & Shoots in Tasmania.

Empower more young women like Vini: donate today >>

Vini has a keen interest in the cross-pollination of environmental advocacy with social justice, particularly the intersectional relationships between the environmental crisis and social inequality. In less than a year she helped host film festivals, co-developed the wellbeing program Return To Nature, increased the number of grants for Roots & Shoots projects and is now leading an ambitious advocacy campaign raising awareness about destructive Fast Fashion impacts – on animals, people and environment.

She believes that our environment is an integral part of our social well-being, and that we must do everything we can to conserve it. On days she hopes to inspire people in the same way as Dr Jane some day.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you? And why do you think it’s important?

Vini and a colleague carrying out research as part of her Microbiology major at University of Tasmania
Vini and a colleague carrying out research as part of her Microbiology major at University of Tasmania

International Women’s Day is a time of celebrating the women of our planet and letting them know that ‘they are enough’. You don’t have to be a CEO or martial arts black belt to be a strong, independent woman. You are all you ever need to be.

It’s a time to celebrate the achievements women have made around the world, starting with acknowledging our own. We often forget how important we are as individuals.

Yet, it is also a time to acknowledge that gender inequality is not something of the past. Regardless of where you live or what you do, whether you’re a female worker in the cotton industry or work in Parliament House, gender inequality chases women of all walks of life – even today.

Our earth needs you: give to keep Jane’s hope alive >>

International Women’s Day is a time of celebration, but also a time for us to look forward and assess what needs to be done to ensure a truly gender equal society.

This isn’t something only women should be thinking about; men need to stand in solidarity with women to create a future where gender inequality is truly something of the past.

Who are your top three female inspirations and why?

The three most important women in my life are:

Vini with her mum, while celebrating her parents' 25th wedding anniversary
Vini with her mum, while celebrating her parents’ 25th wedding anniversary

My Mum.

She was the first female role model I had. She’s compassionate, caring, holds her ground and manages work-life balance with an ease I have yet to master.

Dr Marie Curie

She inspired me to pursue STEM and reminds me everyday that women can excel in any field they persue – male dominated or not. And to never give up on our dreams.

Being the 1st person to have won the Nobel Prize twice, she proved that women can be at the forefront of accomplishments and be the first at achieving something unachievable.

Dr Jane Goodall.

Jane inspires me to be hopeful everyday in a world where hope can be difficult to find. She inspires me to get up and take action for what I believe in – whether that be social and climate justice, or creating a world that’s better for those to come – for, as she says: “the greatest danger to our future is apathy.”

Help young leaders: Join The Hope our donor community >>

What advice would you give to a 10-year-old with hindsight?

Let your imagination go crazy and know that as a woman you can also soar. No matter what you decide to do, always remember that you are enough and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

There’s no such thing as a woman’s job or a man’s job, all jobs are equal.

Remember to always do what brings you joy and instills you with hope.

What is your key message to other women with similar goals this IWD?

In a time of such uncertainty, it can be difficult to focus on our goals and aspirations, particularly justice focused aspirations.

Like myself I’m sure there are others who wake up thinking what’s the point of trying and trying again when all we face is failure to be heard and taken seriously. But always remember, if we can inspire one other person to care, then one day, we’ll have inspired the world.

~

Be a part of Vini’s work: join Roots & Shoots Tasmania’s Facebook Group or email tas@janegoodall.org.au

Roots & Shoots’ Kya King, 12, crowned Environment Minister’s Young Climate Champion

Minister’s Young Climate Champion of 2021, Kya King with NSW Environment Minister and Treasurer, Matt Kean, MP.

Kya King, Roots & Shoots NSW member, has won the prestigious Minister’s Young Climate Champion title for her 2020 Mini Grants project of a bushfire recovery seed bank.

Treasurer and Environment Minister, Matt Kean, presented King with her prize at a ceremony in Sydney on 9 December, as part of the inaugural NSW Sustainability Awards produced by Banksia. The Young Climate Champion program recognises the next generation of environmental champions and climate-conscious innovators under 18, taking action into their own hands. “It is so inspiring to see young people like Kya stepping up and making a difference in their local community,” said Kean.

King was one of three finalists invited to attend the Banksia Awards at the offices of EY which also recognised outstanding contributions in a range of categories including Clean Technology, Biodiversity and Future Cities.

Kya’s winning project was a seed bank established to distribute native trees to community members on the south coast of NSW, hit hard by the Black Summer Bushfires. The judges were impressed by the ingenuity and passion Kya demonstrated. Kya was nominated for the prize with the help of K-lynn Smith, Roots & Shoots NSW State Coordinator.

Kya submitted her project idea through the Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Mini Grants program securing a small grant to kick off the project. Jane Goodall Institute Australia CEO, James Forbes said that seeing not just Kya’s project but dozens like it across Australia in the wake of the bushfires and during a pandemic, was inspiring.

“Young people are truly a force of nature when they see a problem that needs solving. We are so proud of Kya’s success in this, but also of young people all over Australia who are stepping up to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time like climate change and biodiversity loss.

About Kya and her Roots & Shoots Mini Grant winning project

Kya is a remarkable 11-year-old. She witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of the 2019-2020 bushfires on people and animals. She used to see kangaroos and birds in her yard. The bush was so thick, she couldn’t even see through it. It was a perfect habitat for the native animals. After the fires, the hills were black and there was little food or shelter for the animals. She also felt compassion for the people who lost everything, even their own vegetable gardens.

With the support of her mother Amy Fazl, Kya created a plan to help her local neighbourhood recover from the bushfires. She applied for and received a Roots and Shoots Mini Grant in 2020 to grow native shrubs and flowers, as well as vegetables, to begin to replace what was lost to the fires.

Her first step was to research native shrub and tree species for the area around Sussex Inlet, NSW where she lives. Using the Roots and Shoots funds she purchased seeds and soil in order to propagate the plants.

They grew very well and by the end of the project she had distributed over 150 plants native to people in the local neighbourhood. In addition to the native plants, she also gave away nearly 500 herbs, pollinator seeds, and vegetables plants. These were planted in community members’ gardens around Sussex Inlet and in the community run garden.

In addition to providing new food and homes for the local animals, the project helped to lift the spirits of people who had suffered so much.

Winning the Mini Grant also positively impacted Kya’s life. Kya is on the spectrum and has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome. Her mother commented on how the grant gave Kya the opportunity to embrace her passion for helping people and for caring for the environment. Kya learned new skills and hopes to be able to do more to help her community in the future.

Congratulations on your highly deserved win Kya! You truly embody the spirit of Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots. It is an enormous credit to the passion and determination of young people like Kya that gives us hope for the future!

Special thanks to Joanne and William of the Une Parkinson Foundation who have made this program possible at all. As well as the JGIA family: that a Roots & Shoots project has received such a high-status award is recognition not just of Kya’s great work but also the great work done by the Roots & Shoots State Coordinators across Australia, plus the whole team, in promoting this program with schools and communities.

rootsandshoots.org.au | Back to JGIA news >>

Jane’s Hopecast: Christiana Figueres, Global Climate Action Leader, on hope, change and nature connection

Listen to the Jane Goodall Hopecast everywhere podcasts are available:

iTunes | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Castbox

EPISODE SUMMARY
In this episode of the Hopecast, Dr. Jane Goodall is joined by Christiana Figueres IPCC Global Climate Action Leader, a globally recognized leader on international climate action. She was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 2010 – 2016 and played a major role in the formation of the landmark climate agreement known as the Paris Accord in 2015. Today, she is the co-founder of Global Optimism, co-host of the podcast Outrage & Optimism and is the co-author of the recently published book, The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis. As the world has its eyes on COP26, Christiana and Jane’s conversation offers a look at how individual action, such as small acts of kindness toward one animal species, blossoms into the collective action we need.

When Christiana was 10 years old, she took a trip with her parents to the beautiful Monteverde Rainforest in her home country, Costa Rica. There, she encountered a magnificent golden toad that forever tethered her to the natural world. Once she became a mother, Christiana felt it was critical for her daughters to develop that same connection. When she took her daughters to that same rainforest, she was pained to discover that the golden toad that was endemic to that rainforest and was the catalyst to her deep love of nature had gone extinct likely due to the Climate Crisis.

This experience, among many others, influenced Christiana’s decision to dedicate her life to addressing this existential issue. Christiana and Jane discuss how cultivating a connection to the natural world at a young age is critically important so that once folks become young adults and older adults, they remember the beauty and magic that we must systematically fight to protect every day. Listen to this hopeful conversation about how to turn awe and inspiration from nature into local and impactful action.

AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW
Stay to the end of the episode to hear a clip of Jane speaking as the UN Messenger of Peace at the Earth to Paris summit in Paris, France in 2015 about how making small, individual changes can have a big, collective impact.

Stay tuned for Season Two Episode Six, with veterinarian and animal advocate, Dr. Evan Antin!

How girls’ education benefits our entire planet

Inspired by her own experience witnessing the Jane Goodall Institute’s work in Uganda, our Africa Programs Manager, Natasha Coutts, shares proven reasons why female education has positive reverberations for our entire planet.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

-Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

 

Significant gains in closing the gender gap in education have been made globally over the past 30 years, however regional disparities between the number of years of school completed by boys and girls still persist. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the lower secondary school completion rate for boys is 42 percent compared to 36 percent for girls. A similar difference exists for upper secondary school completion rates, with 29 percent for boys and just 22 percent for girls. Here are eight reasons why bridging the educational gender divide in Sub-Saharan Africa can help save the world

Forests

Africa has lost 3.94 million hectares of forest per year since 1990, the highest rate globally.1 These forests, particularly the primary tropical rainforests around the equator, are extremely rich in biodiversity. Their loss and degradation imperils the survival of innumerable plant and animal species, many endemic to these locations. For example, habitat destruction and degradation is a leading threat to endangered chimpanzees.2

Multiple studies have shown traditional fuel consumption to be the greatest driver of deforestation in the region, due to large numbers of poor rural populations living in and around forested areas being reliant on wood fuel and charcoal for cooking.3-5  In addition to energy, many people across rural Sub-Saharan Africa depend on forests for between 30 – 45%  of their total household income.6-9 However, forest dependency tends to decline with more years of education, as it presents alternative livelihood opportunities that are often more profitable than forest extraction activities.10-14

Find out more about our campaign Educate Girls, Change The World >>

Resilience

Education helps buffer women, their families and the countries that they live in from financial and environmental shocks.15 At the family level, women with more education can better handle economic fluctuations that might impact their ability to provide food and health care to their children. At the national level, female education provides the best return on investment for enhancing a country’s ability to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.16

Predictions suggest Africa will face a number of climate and environment related challenges –  such as decreased food security, water availability and biodiversity loss – over the coming decades. Critical to ensuring vulnerable populations are equipped to deal with these challenges is the education of girls: there is massive untapped potential for them to emerge as leaders in this space. For example, in 2015 women represented only 30% of forestry graduates from the level of technical diploma through to doctoral degrees.17

Closing the gender gap in secondary education will give girls the foundations they need to pursue further education and realise their full potential to gain leadership positions within academia, civic associations, business, and politics.18

Climate

Sub-Saharan African countries are among the world’s most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. By decreasing fertility rates and population growth, educating girls can substantially contribute to reducing global carbon emissions.19

Project Drawdown – the world’s leading resource for climate solutions – ranked educating girls the sixth most effective strategy for curbing climate change. Estimations suggest over 51 gigatons of CO2 emissions could be saved if free universal secondary education is implemented globally by 2030.20

How do reusable sanitary towels reduce deforestation? Learn more >>

Population growth

High population growth can be a challenge to increasing standards of living in Income Level 1 & 2 countries. More people means budgets for public services and available resources are spread more thinly. Increasing population size is also strongly associated with greater deforestation.21,22

If all countries prioritised rapid expansion of free universal secondary schooling, the global population will likely be 843 million people fewer in 2050 compared to projections based on current enrollment rates.23, 24 In Sub-Saharan Africa, where most countries are currently at Income Levels 1 & 2 and large gaps in educational attainment between boys and girls still exist, women with secondary education average 3.9 births while those with no education average 6.8 births.25, 26

Future earnings

There is a strong relationship between the number of years of schooling a girl undertakes and her future income. Sub-Saharan African women with primary education are likely to earn between 18 – 30% more than those with no education. The difference increases to between 130 – 165% for secondary education, and a staggering 448 – 567% for tertiary education.27

Education also helps reduce gender income inequality. Ghanian women with secondary education earn 16 percent less than secondary educated men, whereas the gap increases to 57 percent for women and men with no education.28  Because higher incomes help alleviate poverty, which in turn can lower dependence on forests29, educating girls over time contributes to the preservation of natural ecosystems.

Health

Education leads to better health outcomes for women and their children. During the peak of the HIV crisis in the 1990s the likelihood of testing positive to the virus was three times less for adolescent rural Ugandans with secondary education than those with no education.30

Across nine Sub-Saharan African countries, the chance of a child contracting malaria – a leading cause of death in the region – is reduced by approximately 27 percent if their mothers have completed at least six years of primary education.31  Child health and nutritional status is most strongly associated with a mothers’ education in rural Uganda.32

Economies

Educated women make economies stronger, both locally and nationally. Increasing the number of years of education improves women’s prospects for participating in the formal labour market.33 Estimated labour market returns on education are higher for women at 11.7 percent compared to 9.6 percent for men.34

Sub-Saharan African women are responsible for 75 percent of food produced in the region, yet their average number of years of education is far less than that of men.

When women’s educational attainment levels increase, so too does their productivity. Female farmers with more years of education in Kenya were shown to increase yields by up to 22 percent.35

Child marriage

Cultural norms and poverty force many girls to marry before the age of 18. In most cases, marriage and schooling are mutually exclusive.36 The chance of marriage is reduced by 7.5 percent for every additional year of secondary school completed by girls in 13 African countries.

In a survey of married Ugandan women, 39 percent who married in adulthood enrolled in secondary school, compared to 13 percent who married as a child.37 Programs that focus on increasing educational attainment for girls are one of the most effective strategies for reducing child marriage.38

Learn how JGI helps girls stay in school to protect chimps >>

 

References

  • FAO and UNEP. 2020. The State of the World’s Forests 2020. Forests, biodiversity and people. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8642en
  • Plumptre, A., Hart, J.A., Hicks, T.C., Nixon, S., Piel, A.K. & Pintea, L. 2016. Pan troglodytes ssp. schweinfurthii. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T15937A102329417.
  • Bawa, K. S. and Dayanandan, S. (1997). Socioeconomic factors and tropical deforestation. Nature, 386, 562 – 563.
  • Hosonuma, N., Herold, M., De Sy,V., De Fries, R. S., Brockhaus, M., Verchot, L., Angelsen, A., and Romijn, E. (2012). An assessment of deforestation and forest degradation drivers in developing countries. Environmental Research Letters, 7, 044009.
  • Mulenga, B. P., Tembo, S. T., and Richardson, R. B. (2019). Electricity access and charcoal consumption among urban households in Zambia. Development Southern Africa, 36 (5), 585 – 599. 
  • Garekae, H., Thakadu, O. T., and Lepetu, J. (2017). Socio-economic factors influencing household forest dependency in Chobe enclave, Botswana. Ecological Processes, 6 (1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13717-017-0107-3.
  • Mamo, G., Sjaastad, E., Vedeld, P. (2007). Economic dependence on forest resources: a case from Dendi District, Ethiopia. Forest Policy Economics, 9 (8), 916 – 927.
  • Appiah, M., Blay, D., Damnyag, L., Dwomoh, F. K., Pappinen, A., and Luukkanen, O. (2009). Dependence on forest resources and tropical deforestation in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 11, 471 – 487.
  • Kalaba, F. K, Quinn, C.H., Dougill, A.J. (2013). Contribution of forest provisioning ecosystem services to rural livelihoods in the Miombo woodlands of Zambia. Population and Environment, 35 (2), 159 – 182.
  • Adhikari, B., Di Falco, S., and Lovett, J. C. (2004). Household characteristics and forest dependency: evidence from common property forest management in Nepal. Ecological Economics, 48, 245 – 257.
  • Gunatilake, H. (1998). The role of rural development in protecting tropical rainforests: evidence from Sri Lanka. Journal of Environmental Management, 53, 273 – 292.
  • Panta, M., Kim, K., Lee, C. (2009). Households’ characteristics, forest resources dependency and forest availability in central Terai of Nepal. Journal of Korean Forest Society, 98 (5), 548 – 557.
  • Fonta, W. M., and Ayuk, E. T. (2013). Measuring the role of forest income in mitigating poverty and inequality: evidence from south-eastern Nigeria. Forests, Trees, and Livelihoods 22 (2), 86 – 105.
  • Masozera, M. K., and Alavalapati, J. R. R. (2004). Forest dependency and its implications for protected areas management: a case study from the Nyungwe Forest Reserve, Rwanda. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 19 (4), 85–92.
  • King, E., and Winthrop,  R. (2015). Today’s Challenges for Girls’ Education. Brookings Institution, Washington.
  • Streissnig, E., Lutz, W., and Patt, A. (2013). Effects of Educational Attainment on Climate Risk Vulnerability. Ecology and Society, 18 (1), 16. http://dx.doi.org/10.5751/ES-05252-180116.
  • FAO. (2020). Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020: Main report. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca9825en.
  • O’Neil, T., Plank, G., and Domingo, P. (2015). Support to Women and Girls’ Leadership: A Rapid Review of the Evidence. Overseas Development Institute, London.
  • O’Neill, B.C., Dalton, M., Fuchs, R., Jiang, L., Pachauri, S., and Zigova, K. (2010). Global demographic trends and future carbon emissions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107 (41), 17521-17526. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1004581107.
  • UNESCO. (2020). Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and education: All means all. UNESCO, Paris.
  • Busch, J., and Ferretti-Gallon, K. (2017). What Drives Deforestation and What Stops It? A Meta-Analysis. Review of environmental economics and policy, 11(1) 3-23.
  • Uusivuori, J., Lehto, E. and Palo, M. (2002). Population, income and ecological conditions as determinants of forest area variation in the tropics. Global Environmental Change, 12, 313-323.
  • UNESCO. (2014). Teaching and Learning: Achieving Quality for All – EFA Global Monitoring Report 2013/4. UNESCO, Paris.
  • Lutz, W., and Samir., K. C.  (2011). Global Human Capital: Integrating Education and Population. Science, 333 (6042), 587–92.
  • UNPD. (2011). World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision. UNPD, New York.
  • 26.ICF International. STATcompiler: Building Tables with DHS Data. (2012) ICF International, Calverton. Available at www.statcompiler.com.
  • Wodon, Q., C., Nguyen, M. H., and Onagoruwa, A. (2018). Educating Girls and Ending Child Marriage: A Priority for Africa. The Cost of Not Educating Girls Notes Series. The World Bank, Washington, DC.
  • Kolev, A., and Sirven, N. (2010). Gender Disparities in Africa’s Labor Market: A Cross-Country Comparison Using Standardized Survey Data. In Gender Disparities in Africa’s Labor Market. Editors Arbache, J. S., Kolev, A., and Filipiak, E. World Bank, Washington.
  • FAO and UNEP. (2020). The State of the World’s Forests 2020 – Forests, biodiversity and people. FAO and UNEP, Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8642en.
  • De Walque, D. (2004). How Does Educational Attainment Affect the Risk of Being Infected by HIV/AIDS? Evidence from a General Population Cohort in Rural Uganda. World Bank Development Research Group Working Paper. World Bank, Washington.
  • Siri, J. G. (2014). Independent Associations of Maternal Education and Household Wealth with Malaria Risk in Children. Ecology and Society, 19 (1), 33.
  • Wamani, H., Tylleskär, T., Astrøm, A. N., Tumwine, J. K., and Peterson, S. (2004). Mothers’ Education but Not Fathers’ Education, Household Assets or Land Ownership is the Best Predictor of Child Health Inequalities in Rural Uganda. International Journal for Equity in Health, 3 (1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-9276-3-9
  • Patrinos, H., and Montenegro, C. E. (2014). Comparable Estimates of Returns to Schooling Around the World. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 7020. World Bank, Washington.
  • Sperling, G. B., Winthrop, R. and Kwauk, C. (2016). What Works in Girls’ Education: Evidence for the World’s Best Economy. Brookings Institution Press, Washington, DC, USA.
  • Quisumbing, A. (1996). Male – Female Differences in Agricultural Productivity: Methodological Issues and Empirical Evidence. World Development, 24 (10), 1579 – 1595.
  • Wodon, Q., Nguyen, M. C., and Tsimpo, C. (2016). Child Marriage, Education, and Agency in Uganda. Feminist Economics, 22 (1), 54 – 79. doi:10.1080/13545701.2015.1102020.
  • Wodon, Q., Montenegro, C., Nguyen, H., and Onagoruwa, A. (2018). Educating Girls and Ending Child Marriage: A Priority for Africa. The Cost of Not Educating Girls Notes Series. The World Bank, Washington.
  • Botea, I., Chakravarty, S., Haddock, S., and Wodon, Q. (2017). Interventions Improving Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes and Delaying Child Marriage and Childbearing for Adolescent Girls. Ending Child Marriage Notes Series. The World Bank, Washington.

“Thank you for giving me the strength to carry on:” Dr. Jane Goodall’s Rally of Hope for 2021

Dear Supporter,

For many of us, the holidays are a time for reflection. As we look back on 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic will occupy a central role—it caused so much suffering and death around the world. But it also provided many examples of selflessness and altruism—hope for a better world. We were also given proof that nature is resilient if we give her a chance, that if we get together we can create a better relationship with nature, a better world for all.

Thanks to you, hundreds of chimpanzees who may not have survived are getting a chance to thrive. We are fighting to end the illegal bushmeat and pet trades by working collaboratively with local communities, NGOs and governments. We’re coming to the aid of chimpanzees in sanctuaries, helping to provide ways of protecting them from COVID-19. We’re providing communities in Africa with the information and tools to protect their own environment, understanding it is for their own future as well as for wildlife. We provide micro-credit programs, scholarships to keep girls in school during and after puberty, workshops that provide information about agroforestry, permaculture, water management and so on. And we are empowering thousands of young people around the globe through our Roots & Shoots program, encouraging them to choose and act upon projects to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment. Most of all, we’re demonstrating what is possible when our brains work in harmony with our hearts to make the world a better place for all.

As I reflect on how we persevered this year, I am filled with gratitude for your support, because you and our other supporters are proof that a better future is possible. Together, let us continue to spread hope throughout the world, and build a better future. I wish you a healthy and safe holiday season, and I look forward to your continued interest in and support for our work in the months to come!

Warmly,

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE
UN Messenger of Peace
Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute