Village Trumpets Foundation Uganda
- +256-781705478 /+256-709478196
- info@villagetrumpets.org
- Become A Volunteer
Formerly hunter gathers that inhabited the forests of Bwindi, Mgahinga and Echuya forests for time of memorial. Evicted from their ancestral Lands in 1991 by the government of Uganda for the creation of national parks and forest reserves. Left with no prior consent, no compensation, scattered and landless but squatters on other people’s land.
Currently number of the Batwa people is about 6200 in Uganda, Kisoro district has the largest number of Batwa (2099, 1009 males, 1090 females) live in all sub-counties of the district whereas some Batwa have been settled by NGOs and other well-wishers the communities of Rushaga, Kagano, Kimbiremu, and Rukeri are completely landless.
The Batwa family every morning is greeted with a new challenge; the common challenge is mistreatment and discrimination. The only way to go is the Batwa hiring their labor elsewhere in the community in order to earn a living for their household needs and survival.
There are about 800 gorillas left in the world and only live in the Virunga’ on the borders of Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Bwindi Forest in southwestern Uganda.
These giant Apes are very threatened although the habitant is growing tiny and the major threat is anti- poaching, tourism here is very important. One of the most things we do is get the balance between humans and wildlife. Traditionally in Africa there has been a tendency in most parks created people have been removed which sounds understandable and undesirable.
Tourism started in 1992, with the habitation of one gorilla group and the idea behind that was to meet the costs of conservation. Gorilla trekking in Uganda cost $700 USD. Tourism obvious brings pounds and Euro currency in the area. Beyond that, tourism can help us behind the livelihood of the community
As Village Trumpets Foundation, we have come up with a general idea to strengthen the relationship between wildlife, travelers and humanity. Through this we bring Batwa and rural communities together and promote their hands-on skills.
In 1991 the Batwa were officially evicted from their original motherland and due to that the Batwa became landless. Now they don’t have access to land for shelter. They have, no income generating activities that can improve their livelihood. And educating their children is a hidden challenge.
Batwa current challenges
• Limited education
• Highly marginalized and discriminated
• High levels of unemployment
• Lack of representation and participation in government
• Landless
• Poor shelters
• Poor standards of living
• Poor health conditions.
• Human rights violations
• Lack of coordination by partners hence duplication of activities
• High number of schools drop outs
• Inadequate funds to cater for all Batwa needs
• High expectations
• Negligence of the Batwa parents
• Some Batwa are reluctant to work abandoning their land
Lack of water is the major problem the rural communities and Batwa settlements face.Village Trumpets Foundation is found specifically to demonstrate that once given the basics of life, Batwa life can improve. Lack of material assets being the major challenge that makes them get out there begging here and there and this in turn lowers their self-esteem.
BATWA PYGMY TRIBES COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
PROVIDING FOOD, HOUSING, MEDICAL SERVICES, AGRICULTURE, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION
Location: Butogota-Bwindi, Kanungu District (Southwestern Region)
If you’re looking for a unique opportunity to volunteer your time and energy with some of Africa’s most remote tribes, then this will provide and unforgettable experience for you. This program was started in 2023 with the aim and vision to be able to provide food, housing, medical services, gardening programs, social development, educational training, cultural preservation and human rights advocacy to some of the poorest and most underdeveloped Rural Batwa Pygmy communities in southwestern Uganda, Africa. The goal is to develop programs to empower them to become sustainable and self-sufficient. This program will allow you to get involved with the Batwa Pygmy tribes which is an impoverished minority group living in Uganda. The Pygmy tribes are believed to be the first indigenous inhabitants of Central Africa and their existence is believed to date back to more than 1 million years ago.
Left behind by the developing world, the Pygmy tribes have become one of the poorest and most isolated tribes in Africa and make up approximately 0.02 % – 0.7 % of the population in Uganda. These Batwa people have been living under tremendously harsh living conditions and most of the tribes that are located in the S.W. region of Uganda suffer politically, economically, and psychologically. To make matters worse, most families work on farms for meagre wages that are usually barely enough to feed their families. Like most poverty-stricken children in Africa, the children of the Batwa tribes are often suffering from malnutrition and have a frightening infant mortality rate at 38% before the age of 5. For centuries, the Batwa people have depended on hunting and gathering to survive in the forests. Today, only a few Batwa still live in kanungu district and Semliki National Park; and most of the tribes have been forced out of their native land and are currently living on the periphery of their ancestral forestland. The Batwa’s dispossession and landlessness is due to the environmental conservation efforts and ecological measures by the Ugandan Government and International agencies.
In the early 1990s, the Ugandan government declared the Semliki National Park a protected area and evicted all those who had entered and settled in the area, including the Batwa tribes. To make way for the famous mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga forests, the Batwa were ‘relocated’ by the MBIFCT without their consent, and without any public hearings. This was a devastating move by the Government. Not only were the Pygmy tribes displaced from their homeland, settler farming communities and logging companies also imposed private land rights which limited the Batwas’ freedom of movement. During the time of their removal, the farming communities and logging companies continued to greatly damage their forest. At this point there is no real solution and the future has never looked more uncertain for the Batwa Community. While the government provides some Batwa families with land leases of a very short duration, it is unknown what will happen after these leases expire. The largest problem facing the Batwa people is that only a few of the families are covered under this lease and most have been forced to become ‘squatters’ on the land of their neighbors and charged high fees to remain there.
With the help of volunteers like you, the future for the Batwa people may become a bit brighter. Local projects have been created by people.
that have Village Trumpets Foundation desire concern to keep the heritage of the Batwa communities alive. As a volunteer on this program, you can get involved in the following projects:
- organic farming,
- community development,
- construction and development of medical centers,
- working, teaching,
- Educating local Batwa Pygmy Tribes,
- modern agriculture,
- community sports development.
BATWA PYGMY COMMUNITY PROGRAM FEE
1 WEEK + $115.00
2 WEEKS + $220.00
3 WEEKS + $330.00
4 WEEKS + $ 435.00
5 WEEKS + $535.00
6 WEEKS + $ 635.00
ADDITIONAL WEEK(S)
PLEASE NOTE: Volunteers are required to pay a Registration Fee of $300, which will be added to the program fee. This fee helps to cover the registration, enrolment, administration and processing costs. To find out what’s included in the program fees, scroll down for additional details.