Budget met & research approved - NL #15

May 18

May 18, 2025

Hey everyone,

We’re thrilled to share the latest from Ski Club Uganda as we gear up for June. Our recent meetings have solidified plans, and we’re making incredible strides. Let’s dive in!

Let’s start off by thanking Martina Decrinis, Bill Von Stockton, our Morgan Long, and our newest team member Max Eihausen for their donations and amazing support! We've now raised $800 more, for a total of $2,300. Thank you!

TLDR: Quick Highlights

Budget revised to $1,920, with $2,300 raised-short-term goal achieved!
June trip itinerary nearly finalized for tree planting and community events.
National Geographic story to feature our work on Rwenzori glaciers.
Community event in Kilembe to focus on tree planting and flood management.

Budget: Adjusted targets, & Goal Surpassed!

Due to limited operations bandwidth in Uganda, we’re downsizing June plans:
We will no longer organize a Ugandan TV crew, a formal event with district administration, or hire out-of-town acting groups. We’ve also dropped the regional school debate event. Instead, we’ll work with a local village school to stage a play during our visit.

This has cut a lot of the expensive parts from our budget, and our revised goal is now just $1,920.

With $2,300 already raised, we’ve met our short-term goal!

Huge thanks to everyone who has donated to our cause!!! WE DID IT!!

Plus, our 501(c)(3) application is supposedly on it’s way to be approved, opening doors to future funding opportunities.

Team Structure: Strong and Growing

Our core teams are set, with passionate leaders driving us forward:

Climate & Research: Dr. Bob Nakileza & Sarah Ivory
Development: Florian
Operations: Morgan (US) & Brian (Uganda)
Communications: Still vacant-know someone with social media, design, or marketing skills? Send them our way!
New team member: My longtime friend, Max Eihausen, is joining our team and will come in June. He brings experience with biology, ecologoy, and accounting. His talents and energy are already boosting our mission!

June Trip: Itinerary Coming Together

Dates: June 17–24 for tree planting and community engagement in Kilembe.
Details: Brian has crafted an 8-day itinerary, including tree planting (targeting 15,000 seedlings), school visits, and community events. Sarah has outlined a preliminary plan for student research activities during those days.
Logistics: Accommodations are being arranged for up to 25 Makerere University students in Kasese. They will be joining for 2 days, potentially 5.
Safety: Rwenzori region remains stable despite travel advisories.

Media Spotlight: National Geographic Feature

We’re beyond excited that a Stuart’s National Geographic story on the Rwenzori glaciers will feature Ski Club Uganda’s work. The timeline is later in 2025, early 2026. This will story will also get shared to outlets like CNN, BBC, Guardian, and the New York Times.

Max Tuana, Stuart and I are working on a shot list for our documentary, and we’re planning a 5-7 minute explainer video about our mission with Stuart’s help. This visibility will amplify our impact.

Also, if you’d like to see Stuart’s work, check out his website!

Research Updates: Student Involvement

Dr. Bob and Sarah are leading research efforts. They managed to secure approvals for us to do research this June!!! Congratulations to them, this is a big win for us.

Students will split into three groups: tree planting, community focus groups, and mapping existing tree nursery sites.

Team spotlight: Max Eihausen, 5-Year Goals

Max presented an inspiring 5-year plan, prioritizing flood resilience, economic empowerment for farmers, and water security in Kilembe. These goals tie into global initiatives like World Environment Day (June 5) and the International Year of Glaciers Preservation, and we’re exploring ways to align our June activities with these themes.

Donate to Support Our Mission

With our short-term budget met, every additional donation now fuels our long term goal for Kilembe, and helps us pay for additional equipment, travel, community events, and research. If you’re able to contribute, like Jotam G Pasipanodya, Nubia Echevarria, Anne Dix, Nicole Dreon, Felix Knollmann, Elisabeth Purtscher, Barbara Ritschel, Bjorn Knollmann, John Porter, Martina Decrinis, Bill Von Stockten, Max Eihausen, and finally Morgan Long… (whew!) please donate via our link.

We’re so happy to see your growing support.

Donate to Ski Club Uganda project costs (seedlings, labor), organized by Florian Knollmann

Thanks for being part of this incredible journey. We’re making real change-one tree, one story, one adventure at a time. Got questions, ideas, or want to join us? Reply to this email or ping me directly.

See you soon,
Florian & the Ski Club Uganda Team