A sure way of tapping tourists’ cash
TIBESIGWA Gongo, an elder in Buhoma village is a happy man. His memory of a remote village in the neighbourhood of Bwindi national park is fast fading.
By Gerald Tenywa
TIBESIGWA Gongo, an elder in Buhoma village is a happy man. His memory of a remote village in the neighbourhood of Bwindi national park is fast fading. He has seen Buhoma trading centre grow from a single makeshift house to an area which now boasts of 12 modern houses.
The area is a paradise by village standards. The construction of Buhoma Rest Camp by a Peace Corp volunteer from USA to house tourists in the park, has also made the area a favourite tourist hangouts. The camp was built about a decade ago.
“I assisted the people to benefit from tourists who come to the park. It is important to work harder for prosperity,†Gongo says.
His dream has come true. In addition to the camp, a local enterprise called Buhoma Village tourist walk has been established and was launched recently.
The Buhoma village tourist walk provides a chance for the tourists to know about the way of life of the locals.
Alexia Baldascini, an enterprise
development consultant, has helped set up the village walk, which she described as the first of its kind in the country.
On the opening of the trail recently, guests and locals had a walk around the village covering about six kilometres in about three hours.
The village walk starts and ends at Buhoma Rest Camp. Trained guides in the community lead tourists to several interesting sites such as a typical rural-homestead, a visit to the local traditional healer, a banana brewing demonstration site, Batwa pygmies music and dancing.
“It is a beautiful experience,†a foreign tourist was overhead telling a friend at the end of the walk.
The camp, is a landmark which shows cause why Gongo should be respected. Gongo was the chairperson of the camp.
Over 100 villagers are employed by the camp and the park as porters and guides. They also use some of the proceeds from the camp into community projects such as construction of schools.
But like Oliver in Oliver Twist, the villagers are asking for more. They want to improve on their welfare and standard of living. Indeed, their voice has to be heard as they are the custodians of the Bwindi, Baldascini argues. “This is because the long-term conservation of the park is only possible if people believe in it,’’ she says.
Bwindi was in 1994 declared a World heritage site in recognition of its unique biological diversity. The ancient natural rain-forest harbours almost half of the remaining mountain gorillas whose global population is 670. It also contains 23 endemic bird species.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the lead agency on wildlife in Uganda, shares 20% of the revenue from the park entrance fees with the communities near the park. UWA charges $275 for the gorilla permits. The visitors also pay $15 for entrance fees to the park.
But this is peanuts because it has to be shared among 23 parishes surrounding Bwindi, Baldascini points out. She has been working under the community-based commercial enterprise development project of the United Nations Foundation/ Food and Agriculture Organisation, which aims at increasing gains for the villagers.
Baldascini says this is a global effort to reduce poverty and conserve biological diversity in two world heritage sites –– Bwindi and Mountain Emei (China).
Mgahinga Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Conservation Trust (MBIFCT) is the implementing partner of the project in Uganda.
“We undertake such projects so that communities can appreciate conservation,†Geo Dutki, the trust administrator, says.
They have been using a step-by-step process that provides community members with the ability to identify and develop small-scale enterprises. The approach focuses on capacity building of resource managers, strengthening local institutions and encourages alliances between businesses and local organisations.
Besides the tourism enterprise, the trust also supports bee keeping, handicraft making, mushroom and passion fruit growing.
The Buhoma village tourist walk was designed by MBIFCT and the community members of Buhoma in collaboration with UWA.
This has been done to increase the variety of tourism activities offered at Bwindi National Park and to provide members of the local community with an alternative source of income directly linked to conservation.
Baldascini says that the village walk is a concrete example of an enterprise and local people share its returns.
“It is very difficult for everybody around the park to benefit, but those with potential should,†she says.
David Kissa, UWA’s tourism warden at Bwindi, says that after gorilla viewing, clients have been asking what else they can do.
“We now have a diversity of tourism activities,’’ he says.
Initially, the tourists on the tourism trail would pay $5 to be taken around the village. They can also buy handicrafts made by the village women in Mukono parish. The land owners, guides and the camp would share the proceeds.
When gold mining and logging were stopped in Bwindi, the nearby communities cursed. Now, Bwindi has become a safe haven for endangered species and the communities have began minting money out of the God-given creatures.
“We are happy to see the fruits of our sweat,†Gongo says.
TIBESIGWA Gongo, an elder in Buhoma village is a happy man. His memory of a remote village in the neighbourhood of Bwindi national park is fast fading. He has seen Buhoma trading centre grow from a single makeshift house to an area which now boasts of 12 modern houses.
The area is a paradise by village standards. The construction of Buhoma Rest Camp by a Peace Corp volunteer from USA to house tourists in the park, has also made the area a favourite tourist hangouts. The camp was built about a decade ago.
“I assisted the people to benefit from tourists who come to the park. It is important to work harder for prosperity,†Gongo says.
His dream has come true. In addition to the camp, a local enterprise called Buhoma Village tourist walk has been established and was launched recently.
The Buhoma village tourist walk provides a chance for the tourists to know about the way of life of the locals.
Alexia Baldascini, an enterprise
development consultant, has helped set up the village walk, which she described as the first of its kind in the country.
On the opening of the trail recently, guests and locals had a walk around the village covering about six kilometres in about three hours.
The village walk starts and ends at Buhoma Rest Camp. Trained guides in the community lead tourists to several interesting sites such as a typical rural-homestead, a visit to the local traditional healer, a banana brewing demonstration site, Batwa pygmies music and dancing.
“It is a beautiful experience,†a foreign tourist was overhead telling a friend at the end of the walk.
The camp, is a landmark which shows cause why Gongo should be respected. Gongo was the chairperson of the camp.
Over 100 villagers are employed by the camp and the park as porters and guides. They also use some of the proceeds from the camp into community projects such as construction of schools.
But like Oliver in Oliver Twist, the villagers are asking for more. They want to improve on their welfare and standard of living. Indeed, their voice has to be heard as they are the custodians of the Bwindi, Baldascini argues. “This is because the long-term conservation of the park is only possible if people believe in it,’’ she says.
Bwindi was in 1994 declared a World heritage site in recognition of its unique biological diversity. The ancient natural rain-forest harbours almost half of the remaining mountain gorillas whose global population is 670. It also contains 23 endemic bird species.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), the lead agency on wildlife in Uganda, shares 20% of the revenue from the park entrance fees with the communities near the park. UWA charges $275 for the gorilla permits. The visitors also pay $15 for entrance fees to the park.
But this is peanuts because it has to be shared among 23 parishes surrounding Bwindi, Baldascini points out. She has been working under the community-based commercial enterprise development project of the United Nations Foundation/ Food and Agriculture Organisation, which aims at increasing gains for the villagers.
Baldascini says this is a global effort to reduce poverty and conserve biological diversity in two world heritage sites –– Bwindi and Mountain Emei (China).
Mgahinga Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Conservation Trust (MBIFCT) is the implementing partner of the project in Uganda.
“We undertake such projects so that communities can appreciate conservation,†Geo Dutki, the trust administrator, says.
They have been using a step-by-step process that provides community members with the ability to identify and develop small-scale enterprises. The approach focuses on capacity building of resource managers, strengthening local institutions and encourages alliances between businesses and local organisations.
Besides the tourism enterprise, the trust also supports bee keeping, handicraft making, mushroom and passion fruit growing.
The Buhoma village tourist walk was designed by MBIFCT and the community members of Buhoma in collaboration with UWA.
This has been done to increase the variety of tourism activities offered at Bwindi National Park and to provide members of the local community with an alternative source of income directly linked to conservation.
Baldascini says that the village walk is a concrete example of an enterprise and local people share its returns.
“It is very difficult for everybody around the park to benefit, but those with potential should,†she says.
David Kissa, UWA’s tourism warden at Bwindi, says that after gorilla viewing, clients have been asking what else they can do.
“We now have a diversity of tourism activities,’’ he says.
Initially, the tourists on the tourism trail would pay $5 to be taken around the village. They can also buy handicrafts made by the village women in Mukono parish. The land owners, guides and the camp would share the proceeds.
When gold mining and logging were stopped in Bwindi, the nearby communities cursed. Now, Bwindi has become a safe haven for endangered species and the communities have began minting money out of the God-given creatures.
“We are happy to see the fruits of our sweat,†Gongo says.