This week marked International Women’s Day prompting me to reflect on the remarkable women living in the buffer zone of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. The National Park was gazetted in 1991, and, as is so often the case, the Indigenous Batwa people who lived in the forest were evicted and no longer permitted to enter the park or use its resources. The Batwa fished, harvested wild yams and honey, and had ancestral sites within the park. Despite their historical claim to land rights and having lived in the area for generations without destroying the ecosystem, they did not receive any national compensation when they were evicted.
Not only has the local community living in the buffer zone around the park lost access to its resources, but it is also subject to crop raiding by wildlife from the park. Before their exclusion, local people engaged in hunting, mining, logging, pit sawing, and beekeeping within the park. There is a revenue-sharing scheme from the park’s tourism earnings, but this has primarily funded infrastructure projects such as roads and schools.
Gorilla tracking for tourists began, and the park has since become a popular tourist destination. In 1991, there were 3,000 tourists. Today, there are around 36,000 visitors annually—152 per day—with a maximum of eight tourists allowed to visit each of the 20 gorilla groups daily. Permits cost USD 800 for non-resident foreigners. The habituation of gorillas to humans in order to facilitate tourism may have increased the damage they cause to local people’s property, as their fear of humans has diminished.
The arrival of tourists has created opportunities for the local community. Many have started their own enterprises.
Ride 4 a Woman
Ride 4 a Woman is a charitable social enterprise supporting women struggling with poverty, HIV, and domestic violence, as well as single mothers, widows, and women who never had the opportunity to attend school. It was set up in 2009 by Evelyne Habasa and her husband, Denis Rubalema. They initially started by renting bicycles to tourists, using the proceeds to support struggling women — hence the somewhat incongruous name.
Next came quilting. The women were taught by Patricia, an Australian who met Evelyne while visiting Bwindi for gorilla tracking. Patricia and two of her quilting friends trained 16 women using a ‘train the trainer’ methodology. Now, 100 women have been trained, and 60 work daily at Ride 4 a Woman. This, along with other projects, empowers women and improves local livelihoods.
Take a look at their website — it is guaranteed to lift your spirits. With only a small amount of support, local communities can use tourism to diversify and improve their livelihoods. However, it depends on empowering them to utilise tourism rather than merely being impacted by it.
Change a Life Bwindi
Their strapline says it all: Empower, Educate & Conserve. The Batwa Cultural Centre was launched in March 2020, alongside microfinance initiatives, craft production, and beekeeping for ‘reformed poachers’.
A Darwin Challenge Fund, through a project run by the IIED, financed a Ugandan artist from Kampala to train women in improving the quality of their basket weaving.
The unique designs reflect the landscapes around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, and they sell quickly. Although they take longer to make, the retail price is significantly higher, resulting in a greater hourly income.
The IIED project has palyed a key role in supporting women to drive change and achieve sustainable livelihoods.
Good livelihoods are possible when local community members gain skills and empowerment as crafters, guides, farmers, and beekeepers. By harnessing tourism, communities can build their future rather than simply being shaped by it.
