U.S. 501(c)(3) · Partners in Uganda
The Shoebill stork is one of the rarest birds on Earth. Friends of Save Shoebill funds locally led conservation in Uganda — land, education, and habitat — so this prehistoric hunter can keep standing watch over the papyrus.
Balaeniceps rex
Standing up to five feet tall with a shoe-shaped bill built to capture lungfish, the Shoebill is found in isolated East African swamps. Fewer than 5,300 remain. Hunting, poaching, and human pressure are shrinking the world they need to hunt in silence.
Friends of Save Shoebill Conservation Project is a U.S. public charity that raises funds and awareness for the Save Shoebill Conservation Project (SSCP) in Uganda — a community-based effort started by ornithologists and guides who live beside these birds every day.
We do not fly in and take over. We resource the people already on the water: monitoring, education, responsible tourism, and the first acres of a dedicated sanctuary.
On the ground
Our partners at SSCP work across Mabamba Bay, Murchison Falls, and Lake Mburo. Current focus: expanding habitat near Mburo National Park and training the neighbors to ensure a wetland stays a wetland.
We have acquired three acres as the start of a Shoebill sanctuary — habitat for the stork and the many other species that share its swamp. The longer goal is about 60 more acres of adjacent wetland, roughly $200,000. That is not this campaign.
The next $5,000 builds a small field structure where SSCP can educate and train local people in conservation and responsible tourism — the income that makes protection pay.
Healthy Shoebills need healthy neighbors. The project funds monitoring, wetland care, and livelihoods so conservation is enjoyed by the creatures who live in the papyrus.
Why it matters
Shoebills are umbrella species. Protecting the quiet, deep wetlands they require also protects fish, water, and the tourism that can help sustain this crucial habitat.
SSCP was founded by people who spent years on the boats in Murchison Falls, including Kenneth Tumusiime, after witnessing the bird as a child and falling in love ever since. Friends of Save Shoebill exists so U.S. donors can put tax-deductible dollars directly behind that work.
Give today
Your gift supports land, a training building, and locally led conservation in Uganda. Friends of Save Shoebill Conservation Project is a U.S. 501(c)(3). EIN 88-2396668.
GoFundMe shows the next slice of the $5,000 building, not a smaller project. The building is not done until we hit $5,000.
100% of campaign proceeds are forwarded to partners in Uganda.
Follow along
March 19, 2026 · Facebook
Progress on the Uganda sanctuary: a 10,000-liter tank is in place to harvest water and support construction. This is the kind of unglamorous gear that lets a field camp actually work.
2025 · Land
Friends of Save Shoebill has acquired three acres as the start of a sanctuary near Lake Mburo — habitat for Shoebills and the species that share the swamp.
Get in touch
Also known as Save the Shoebills
U.S. 501(c)(3) public charity · EIN 88-2396668
Summerville / Charleston, South Carolina
Partner: Save Shoebill Conservation Project, Buliisa District & Lake Mburo region, Uganda
President: Ryan Burke