top of page

Meet The Team

2023

Judi Mbayawayu

Judi Mbayawayu

Project Manager

Kahana Abubakari

Kahana Abubakari

Research Coordinator

Simon Sungura

Simon Sungura

Chimpanzee Project Leader

Ramadhani Tumaini

Ramadhani Tumaini

Monkey Project Leader

Shedrack Lukas

Shedrack Lukas

Phenology and Camera Trap Project Leader

Ivorda Mhakilicha

Ivorda Mhakilicha

Medium-Large Mammal Distribution Project Leader

Sadiki Abeid

Sadiki Abeid

Chimpanzee Project Assistant

Patrick Hassan

Patrick Hassan

Monkey (and Camera Trap) Project assistant

Juma Tumaini

Juma Tumaini

Cook and Project Assistant

Theresia Michael

Theresia Michael

Cook

Epifania Temu

Epifania Temu

Primate Intern (2023)

Mariana_interview.JPG

In Their Words

Use the audio bars to hear what our team have to say!

All audio is in their native language, KiSwahili.

I was selected by my village to train and learn at Pasiansi Wildlife Institute in Mwanza

 Mariana describes her path to becoming a village forest scout 

SHEDRACK-LUCAS.JPG

Shedrack Lukas (left) on the history of GMERC, from the very origins in 2008!

When we began, there were only 5 of us, Alex, Fiona, and 2 of my colleagues.

We were a very small team in those days.

Mashaka Alimas (right) on his personal journey and how he ended up with GMERC back in 2011

I began work with chimpanzees on Kalobwe Mountain, near my village. In the early days, we used bananas to habituate chimpanzees. We learned since then that there are dangers to provisioning, and in time they can learn to tolerate researcher presence, like at Issa.

MashakaAlimas.png

The forests is critical. Without the forests, there are no animals, there are no plants. Wildlife and people rely on these forests, these plants, these resources. In short, without the forests, there is no life.

Yahya Abeid (centre, front row)- a botanist who has worked in the Issa Valley since 1999 - describes the importance of botany to forest conservation

Anna, Yahya et al.jpeg
bottom of page