Welcome to REFRESH

Happy New Year to all our supporters!

Your help has made it possible for us continue our vital work in protecting
Sri Lanka's threatened rainforests - and your creativity in finding different ways to fundraise never ceases to amaze us.

This newsletter looks at some of the fantastic ways people have pledged to support us in 2010 - and how we are going to use your donations to help conserve and restore vital habitat.

If you are planning any fundraising activities for 2010 please let us know, or follow the activities of our supporters on our blog at ridgetoreef.blogspot.com

Ride for the Rainforest

A group of dedicated cyclists from the UK are taking on the challenge of cycling across Sri Lanka, to raise funds for Rainforest Rescue.

Organised by the adventure company Desert Venture, the 10 day trip takes the riders from high-tea country down to the southern coast, in February.

Desert Venture has a history of organising socially responsible adventure holidays – previously supporting Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia. Having chosen to support Rainforest Rescue in Sri Lanka, the sponsorship money will be put towards two programmes:

• Our Rainforest Corridor programme, which restores vital rainforest habitat.
• Our Rainforest Ranger programme, which provides fun, environmental education opportunities for children.

This venture would not be possible without the support of our UK partners Rainforest Concern, who are managing the fundraising and sponsorship process.

To find out more contact Vanessa Buxton from Desert Venture or visit www.desertventure.org                   

Fair-Trade Trees

Six innovative students from Sweden, involved in a high school business project, have chosen to support our work by selling rainforest trees.

The young adults have been given the challenge to run their own business for a year - by setting up a company and developing and marketing a product. Having decided to make their business socially responsible, they chose to support our planting projects by selling tree certificates.Each certificate equals one rainforest tree planted on our land.

Greenify UF sold a fantastic 64 trees at their school fair-trade Christmas Fair - which will go towards restoring forest cover and providing essential habitat for Sri Lanka's endangered species.

You can also support our work by planting trees or sponsoring an acre of rainforest.

The Trivelo project

The Elon University Periclean Scholars Class of 2011 have been supporting our Rainforest Ranger programme in a school in Hiniduma for nearly a year. As well as making it possible for us to run an environmental club in the senior school, the students have also donated a laptop and internet connection. For the junior school, they have provided funds to build new toilets and a store room, with the goal of turning the old store room into a library.

4 Elon students, studying Environmental Studies and Alternative Energy, have designed a truly innovative project to raise more funds - this time to provide solar panels to the school. They aim to design and build a mode of transportation that can travel long distances on human and renewable energy and then they are going to ride it across the United States; from North Carolina to California!

The two person tricycle will be built during the first half of 2010 and the ride itself will take place in June.You will be able to follow progress of this project on the Trivelo website, or to find out more contact Jesse Lee from Elon.

Work with us

We have several exciting opportunities to come and join our team both on a paid and volunteer basis. Find out more about our current opportunities below:
» Paid vacancies
» Volunteer placements (some eligible for paid expenses)