THE STORY OF THE BATWA PEOPLE

In Bubare settlement of Rubuguri town council in Western Uganda, approximately 50 people share eight households. One of these households is Nyensi Annet’s and Geoffrey’s. This couple face each dawn with a parent's deepest worry: how to protect their seven children from the elements that threatens their health and survival. Their current shelter, a small hut housing all nine family members, offers little protection during Uganda's heavy rains, leaving their children vulnerable to recurring illness.

Their story is both deeply personal and part of a longer journey of my people, the Batwa, one of Africa's oldest Indigenous communities.

For millennia, we Batwa people lived prosperously in Uganda's Bwindi Forest, developing sophisticated environmental knowledge that allowed us to thrive while maintaining the forest's delicate ecology. Our sustainable way of life supported countless generations in harmony with the forest ecosystem, including its gorilla populations.

This balance started to shatter in the early 1970s. Under the pretext of conservation and based on entirely false accusations about our responsibility in gorilla population decline, our parents and grandparents faced forced eviction from our ancestral lands. The creation of the Bwindi Impenetrable Game Park as a World Heritage Site led to displacement without compensation or consideration of our rights or knowledge..

Today, Geoffrey and Annet confront the cascading effects of this displacement. Without access to land of their own, they must work in Bakiga-owned gardens, protecting other people's crops from wildlife. Eugene O'Riordan, a friend of the Batwa people visiting from Ireland, accompanied BIDO during community visits to Batwa settlements. In Bubare he met Annet and Geoffrey's family. There, he witnessed their current living conditions: nine people sharing a small hut, children huddled together during rains, a family regularly going without food for days. During this visit he witnessed conditions no family should have to endure. First hand, he could see the cycle of poverty this family was trapped in. Moved by the family’s situation Eugene committed to raising funds through BIDO, for a new house for this family. BIDO, thanks to a generous donor, have provided some land the family can farm to support themselves as well as a place to build a home that they can call their own. Without reliable income they cannot adequately provide for their family.

A house is a giant step but not enough to lift a family out of the poverty cycle. Having food security is fundamental. From this solid foundation, now their children, none of whom have attended school will be able to gain access to education, an essential ingredient in elevating the next generation out of the poverty trap.

The local community, through BIDO's coordination, has a clear plan for a four-room home with a separate Kitchen (meaning no more fire hazards and no more coughing from smoke). Local craftspeople will lead the construction, using materials from community suppliers and proven building techniques suitable for the region's weather. The design prioritizes protection from rain and adequate space - fundamental needs for the family's health. The construction will be overseen by BIDO to ensure quality while supporting local labor and suppliers. This approach not only provides essential shelter for Geoffrey and Annet's family but also strengthens community bonds through collective action. It means economic support flowing through the community, skills being shared and strengthened, and neighbors working together to lift up one of their own families.

Budget

The total cost of 10,000,000 UGX ($2,600 USD) covers:

o All construction materials and transport

o Fair wages for skilled local labor

o Proper tools and safety equipment

o Construction oversight and quality control

o Support for local material suppliers

With the help of your donations we can give Annet & Geoffrey what every parent hopes, dreams and strives for every day: a better future for their children.

My name is Eugene O’Riordan and I have been traveling and volunteering in different projects in East Africa for the past 5 months. We all see, know and have some experience of poverty, some of us feeling caught and trapped in being poor, living from one pay cheque to another. For me standing in the cold face of real poverty is a totally different experience and brings a different understanding of what poverty is.

Of the many difficult situations I experienced I was deeply moved by Geoffrey and Anne’s life.

Essentially I thought ‘ no human beings should be living like this’ and so their story inspired me to act to create a fund in order to achieve the modest goal of raising €2,000 to build this family a home.

Please note

I am very aware in our western world that daily life is full of economic struggles for very many of you, so I don’t wish that anyone who receives this feels any pressure or obligation to donate.

Thanking you all in advance,

Eugene.

BIDO will provide regular updates on construction progress, ensuring transparency and community leadership throughout the process. All materials are sourced locally when possible, supporting the broader community's economic wellbeing.

https://minorityrights.org/communities/batwa/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echuya_Batwa https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-60825768

THANK YOU