On the road through Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda

At a Coltan mine in Kalehe, near Kahuzi Biega

Add both children's ages together and they'd still be underage

"They can't afford to go to school," said the head man of the town

DFGF's Vince Smith and Stanley Johnson, who has recently joined the Board

The Fund's efforts through the Durban Process to tackle illegal mining...

Even on market day, local miners sell tourmaline

.has the support of the head man of the region

They return after 3 hours trekking and more than an hour with the gorillas

The trek took no longer than 4 hours

They make a brief stop at the Pygmy Ladies Sewing Project.

With support from DFGF and Pole Pole Foundation, this project is thriving

Stanley also visited the Olive plant in Bukavu.

Through this plant, most of the coltan mined in the region passes.

At Bukavu airport, some girls ham it up for the camera

But also show their sweeter side.

DFGF director Greg Cummings meets WCS senior conservationist, John Hart

Gorilla! Gorilla! Gorilla! - they talk of nothing else for 3 days...

Stanley refreshes with a dip in Lake Kivu

Careful to avoid the gasses the lake emits

For a moment we wonder if he is swimming to Rwanda

Soon Stanley is back in the forest, this time trekking mountain gorillas

Stanley interviews the rangers to learn about the hardships they must endure.

This ranger was almost killed in an ambush in 1996.

A moment's respite in 6 hours of trekking

But they still found nothing. It may be insecurity or a particularly dry season.

Nonetheless, the mountain gorillas are the life-blood of the region...

...brining tourism dollars which in turn give these children a brighter future.

Daily Telegraph photographer Andrew Crowley

Stanley talks to the ranger who will guide him to meet Eastern lowland gorillas

On the path to the park

It's all up hill from here

Andrew thinks its a walk in the park

They reach Chiminuka's group at the top of a steep ridge

Stanley's first encounter with the greatest of the great apes

The primary forest of Kahuzi Biega is thick and impenetrable

Chiminuka's not particularly sociable on that day

mainly because he is in such deep thicket it is difficult for him to see us