The OMOTANI CARING FOUNDATION is a 501 c 3 USA charity.
EIN 85-2581703
The two trustees are Drs. Les and Barbara Omotani. We are lifelong teachers and educational leaders [successfully and happily retired] who have supported the education, health and well being of local children in North America and throughout the world.
The trustees have extensive experience serving on advisory boards for IBM, Xerox Canada, the Grammy Foundation, several national professional associations, Division I Alumni associations, national and international charities and and a private bank.
The two trustees have personally provided over 90% of the funding for the Omotani Caring Foundation’s activities.
Paul Kirui, Senior Advisor
Paul Kirui serves as a senior advisor to the Omotani Caring Foundation. He grew up on the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and is one of Africa’s most experienced, knowledgeable and distinguished safari guides and professional photographers. Paul is an amazing and caring advocate for the children of Bwindi [and all of Africa], a personal supporter of the porters, rangers, guides, local families (including the Batwa) in the Bwindi region and a lead supporter for the Bwindi Plus School.
Koen Van Rompay, D.V.M., Ph. D., USA Advisor
Koen Van Rompay is a collaborative partner based in the USA. He is a medical researcher in infectious diseases at the University of California, Davis. He is also the founder and executive director of the volunteer-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization Sahaya International, which supports local initiatives in several developing countries. Koen is the original supporter and facilitator for the Rafiki Wildlife Conservation Initiative based in Bwindi, Uganda.
Sahaya International
http://www.sahaya.org
A USA-based 501(c)3 nonprofit (tax ID: 68-0434770)
Rafiki Memorial Wildlife Conservation Initiative
http://rafikiwildlife.org/partners/
https://cnprc.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/KKVanRompay.pdf
Brad Josephs – USA and INTERNATIONAL ADVISOR
The Omotani Caring Foundation welcomes Brad Josephs to serve as its USA and International Advisor. Specifically, Brad will share his knowledge, expertise and insights that support the conservation of brown bears and the training of local people to work as guides, spotters, local tourism support and other roles in the high Himalayan mountains of India and throughout the USA. We believe that Brad can lead the conservation efforts of the high Himalayan brown bear as a keystone umbrella species and engage the local people as full participants in the development of a successful and comprehensive nature tourism initiative.
Brad has been a professional naturalist guide, wildlife photographer and wildlife expedition leader since he graduated from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks with a B.S. in wildlife biology in 1999. For over two decades, Brad has guided numerous professional photographers, photography workshops, bear viewers and film crews on expeditions to view coastal brown bears along the remote Coast of Katmai National Park, Alaska, and wildlife expeditions in China and Borneo. Brad is and has always been obsessed with encouraging wildlife and wilderness conservation in all corners of the world.
Most recently, Brad has chased his life-long fantasy of seeing snow leopards in the wild in the Indian Himalayas and Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China. He guides and leads Voygr’s snow leopard expeditions and helps local herders build predator proof corrals to keep their cattle safe. The OCF is supporting THE HIGH ASIA HABITAT FUND and its mission of protecting the Himalayan snow leopards, the local people and the future successful conservation of the high Himalayan brown bears through responsible tourism. https://highasiafund.org
When not traveling for work, Brad keeps busy as a freelance wildlife writer/photographer/videographer, consultant for wildlife film projects, and lectures at schools, government agencies and organizations on natural history and bear biology and safety. Brad’s hobbies include botany, gardening, bird watching, fly fishing and canoeing in the Ozarks of Arkansas where he recently moved from Alaska. Brad is also a former EMT with the Homer, Alaska fire department, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder.
Ang Rita Sherpa – NEPAL ADVISOR
We first met Ang Rita Sherpa in 2013 during a National Geographic Expedition to South Georgia Island and Antarctica. Ang and his wife, Nawang were traveling with Ang’s childhood friend Peter Hillary. The Omotani Caring Foundation is proud of its support of many projects implemented by THE PARTNERS NEPAL. We appreciate the willingness of Ang Rita Sherpa to serve as our Advisor for Nepal.
Ang Rita Sherpa, of Khunde village in Nepal, has served as the Chairman of THE PARTNERS NEPAL since 2012. Ang has extensive experience in conservation, tourism, sustainability, and supporting the people in the most remote villages of Nepal. He was worked with members of the USA national parks service and was a key leader with the Himalayan Trust established by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1964..
https://thepartnersnepal.org/team/ang-rita-sherpa/