Focused Conservation’s recent visit to Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Uganda was more than an operational check in, it was about strengthening the bonds between conservation, communities, and culture.
During the trip, our team met with Mike Birungi from the Uganda Wildlife Authority’s (UWA) Community Conservation Unit, with the goal of exploring how we can best engage with the communities that live both inside and outside the park. These relationships are essential. As we’ve learned through years of law enforcement experience, local communities are the eyes and ears of everything happening around protected areas. Their trust and cooperation are vital to the long-term success of conservation.
This initiative was sparked by Focused Conservation Technical Advisor Martin Young’s passion for football—and the generous donation of football kits from Sunderland Association Football Club (SAFC), made possible through the support of SAFC Academy Coach, Alan Moore. With their help, we were able to present new Sunderland football strips to the QENP Rangers Football Team, who will proudly wear the iconic red and white colors in an upcoming interagency football tournament. The rangers were thrilled, expressing deep gratitude for the gesture.
Football is woven into the fabric of Sunderland, a community in the United Kingndom built on hard-working values and resilience. Through its charity, the Foundation of Light, SAFC uses football to educate, inspire, and uplift people across communities. It’s a mission that resonates closely with UWA’s own commitment to engage, support, and uplift the communities around Uganda’s protected areas.
Our visit then extended beyond the park, taking us into Katwe, a fishing village on Lake Edward. There, we met with young footballers and their coaches, who not only teach skills on football but also instill important values that go beyond the classroom. Many children played barefoot, yet their energy, smiles, and love for the game left an indelible impression.
In Katunguru, a small town along the Kazinga Channel, we found another thriving hub of youthful enthusiasm. Coaches at the Katunguru Football Academy were running sessions for players aged 9 to 17, despite limited resources—few balls, mismatched strips, and many children without shoes. Thanks to SAFC’s continued generosity, we were able to provide additional shirts and football boots to support the academy and UWA’s community conservation mission.
What stood out to us during these visits is that football—and sport in general—is so much more than just a game. It’s a way to bring people together, to build unity, pride, and a true sense of belonging. Sport helps young people stay healthy, teaches them teamwork, discipline, and resilience, and creates places where friendships can grow.
On a larger scale, sport inspires hope, lifts up communities, and provides positive outlets that can ease social and environmental pressures.
For us at Focused Conservation, these moments are a powerful reminder that protecting wildlife and supporting people go hand in hand. By joining forces with UWA and sharing something as simple and universal as the love of football, we’re not just helping wildlife—we’re helping to strengthen communities in ways that will last forever.
