exploring EMPLOYMENT avenues in TOURISM + ART To empower a forest hunter-gatherer tribe for sustainable employment Angella Kyomuisha Mwebaze John Baptist Asiimwe Francis Xavier

CHALLENGE background + basic info The Batwa are an African hunter-gatherer forest-dwelling tribe who were evicted from Bwindi Impenetrable Forest when the government of Uganda gazetted it as a National Park and world heritage site Until the mid 90’s, Batwa had lived a low-impact, environmentally-sustainable lifestyle inside the Bwindi forest as hunters, deriving all their livelihood from there Following the eviction, no targeted program to equip Batwa young people with formal or life skills has been undertaken by government, civil society or the private sector Illiteracy and an acute lack of vocational skills, therefore, hinder their chances of gaining employment in their new communities Batwa are also generally considered an inferior tribe, subordinate to their neighbours Therefore, the over 5300 Batwa youths are disproportionately marginalized by unemployment compared to other youth in Uganda

OPPORTUNITY method + metrics South western Uganda has a huge need for tourism professionals with a deep cultural knowledge to engage the thousands of tourists who visit the park every year Briefly, our solution involves 1,000 Batwa youth receiving targeted hospitality training from youth volunteers who already have (or are receiving) a university (post-secondary) education Thanks to a strong oral tradition, Batwa youths already have immense knowledge of impenetrable forest, it’s plants and animals, accumulated over 2 centuries We are, therefore, leveraging these new skills and the traditional knowledge to create employment for the youth in the tourism space The initiative will produce well groomed tour guides, interpreters, marketing and booking agents, website developers as well as hospitality staff

OPPORTUNITY method + metrics Enrolled student volunteers were first oriented on the language and traditions of the Batwa people by selected Batwa youths and community leaders Teams of 3-5 Students from different tertiary institutions were then matched to a needs group to provide at least 100 hours of practical training using a curriculum developed by the project team in consultation with Batwa key informers and leaders During the training period, each needs group also, simultaneously, prepared a tour, crafts or cultural performance package for the volunteer teams, deliverable at the end of the training At the end of the 1 year project lifetime, we expect that a total of 200 volunteers will have completed training at least 1,500 Batwa youths Youth groups which will have successfully completed training will be supported using seed funding to establish tourism bureaus, while the rest become trainers of trainers

IMPACT outcomes + sustainability Outcomes  Access to an 18-computer resource center has already been granted by our partner organization for all computer-based skills By the end of the 1 year project period, we expect that at least: 200 student volunteers recruited, oriented and deployed 1,500 Batwa youths trained 5 formally registered companies, with 1 operating in each of the 5 thematic areas formed. Batwa youth groups must have a controlling stake in these companies 8,000 hours of training, skills and knowledge delivered 50 new jobs will be created if each youth-led company employs a minimum of 10 youths Sustainability Since the entities created will be for-profit businesses, proper management should ensure continuity of benefits to the Batwa tribe and surrounding communities Photo Credits: