Batwa Indigenous Development

Batwa Indigenous Development Organisation (BIDO) is a group made by and for the Batwa indigenous people of southwestern Uganda in order to improve their people's living conditions, spread awareness of their situation worldwide, and to organize for a better future for their people.

The Batwa indigenous people are a tribe who are believed to be the first people that lived in the great mountains and forests of Virunga and Bwindi. In 1991 the Batwa indigenous people (pygmies) were evicted from the forest, their ancestral lands, by the government. They receive no compensation and no help with relocation from the government. The majority of the Batwa live in terrible conditions and are some of the most vulnerable people in Africa. The Batwa indigenous people in Southwestern Uganda are among the minority tribes threatened by extinction due to isolation, discrimination, malnutrition, but most of all by poor health and lack of proper medical access.



The health situation among the Batwa communities remains  the biggest factor in decreasing the Batwa population. Different diseases claim Batwa lives including AIDS, dysentery, cholera, tuberculosis, and most of the women die during childbirth.
 
We are here requesting for help to cover the costs of transporting Batwa patients to medical hospitals, covering medical bills, paying for hospital requirements, and feeding Batwa patients while they are at the hospitals.


 
There are other ways we need help in addition to medical care. We are doing advocacy work with the Batwa to improve on their lives economically and socially, and defending the rights of the Batwa people. It would be extremely impactful to be able to buy a motorcycle or small car to use as an ambulance to take Batwa patients to the hospital. We also have plans of building a Batwa clinic, that would be close to Batwa communities for easy treatment of Batwa patients. Malnutrition among the Batwa communities, hunger and famine are still a problem, so we are designing a plan to change this.

(GoFundMe does not allow people in Uganda to organize campaigns, because of this, members of BIDO, especially Arinaitwe Gerald Brian, Ahimbisibwe Alex, and Bwengye Denis, are coordinating with me (Chiara Jacobson) to fundraise through this platform. All money will be transferred to the organization. For transparency's sake, please feel free to request any proof you need to ensure that the money is going to BIDO. Thank you!)