LPRC Named a Finalist for the 2026 .ORG Impact Awards in Environmental Stewardship

Aug 12

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The Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center (LPRC) has been named a finalist for the 2026 .ORG Impact Awards in the Environmental Stewardship category — a global recognition program run by the Public Interest Registry, the nonprofit that manages the .ORG internet domain.

We do not take lightly what this recognition represents. LPRC operates in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in a region that has endured decades of armed conflict, extreme poverty, and disease outbreaks. To be recognized on a global stage for environmental stewardship, against that backdrop, says something about what this organization — and this team — has chosen to do with their lives.

What LPRC Does

Founded in 2002, LPRC is the largest primate sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It currently cares for 278 rescued animals, including 130 endangered eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ssp. schweinfurthii), 97 monkeys across 15 species, and 46 grey parrots — every single one confiscated from poachers or wildlife traffickers.

LPRC is the only designated receiving sanctuary for confiscated chimpanzees and monkeys in eastern DRC. If LPRC closes, there is no backup.

The sanctuary sits on 170 acres adjacent to Kahuzi-Biega National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most critical locations in the world for eastern chimpanzee conservation. DRC holds more than half of the world's remaining eastern chimpanzee population. By 2050, current trends suggest that population will be only half of what it was in 1975. LPRC's work is not abstract conservation — it is a direct intervention against species extinction.

Conservation Rooted in Community

What sets LPRC apart is not just the number of animals it cares for. It is the model.

LPRC employs more than 50 staff members drawn entirely from surrounding communities — caregivers, veterinarians, drivers, and support staff who earn stable wages and receive health insurance in one of the poorest regions on earth. The sanctuary also injects over $8,000 every month into the local economy by purchasing all animal food from 25 local family farms and nearby marketplaces.

The logic is deliberate: a community that earns its livelihood from a functioning sanctuary has a direct stake in keeping the forest intact. Conservation becomes something the community does — not something done to it.

For a decade, LPRC delivered environmental education in local schools and ran a Roots & Shoots chapter, connecting DRC's youth to Jane Goodall's global conservation movement. The director of the Jane Goodall Institute in neighboring Congo Republic has praised LPRC's staff for their ability to operate in such a difficult environment. Between April 2024 and January 2025 alone, LPRC welcomed 1,435 visitors to the sanctuary, over 80% of them Congolese, and reached 440 students through education programming. That all changed when war and disease came to Lwiro.

What 2025 and 2026 Have Required

The 2026 .ORG Impact Awards nomination comes at a moment when LPRC's resilience has been tested harder than at any point in its history.

In 2025, an armed militia captured South Kivu Province, where the sanctuary is located. The war killed at least 7,000 people and displaced more than 800,000. For LPRC, it also meant a 40% spike in food costs, disrupted supply chains, heightened physical danger for every staff member who showed up for work — and every staff member showed up. All 53 of them. Every day.

In May 2026, confirmed Ebola cases arrived at the health center in Lwiro village. LPRC's response was immediate: the sanctuary went into full quarantine. Fifteen staff members voluntarily remained on-site 24 hours a day, separated from their families, to continue caring for the animals. Food was left at the gate, disinfected before being brought inside. Two veterinarians monitored animals and staff twice daily for symptoms. The animals never missed a meal.

Through all of it — the war, the economic disruption, the public health emergency — LPRC kept operating. In recognition of that commitment, the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries named LPRC the Outstanding International Sanctuary of the Year for 2025.

Why the .ORG Award Matters

The .ORG Impact Awards recognize organizations using the internet and their digital platforms to drive real-world impact. For LPRC and its US-based fundraising partner, the Lwiro Primate Fund, that digital reach is how conservation in one of the most remote conflict zones on earth connects to a global community of supporters.

Being named a finalist is recognition that what happens in Lwiro, DRC matters — and that the .ORG community has taken notice.

LPRC is accredited by both the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). The Lwiro Primate Fund holds Candid's Platinum Seal of Transparency.

You Are Part of This

None of this is possible without the supporters who make LPRC's work possible. Every dollar that reaches the sanctuary pays a caregiver's salary, fills a food truck, or buys veterinary supplies during a conflict. This recognition belongs to you too.

If you would like to support LPRC's work, you can do so here.

Rescue. Rehabilitate. Release.

John Kennedy