ECHO STEPS IN TO SUPPORT BATWA COMMUNITY IN KISORO
Echo Highland Adventures has stepped in to support the Batwa community in Kisoro District, Western Uganda, who are living in deplorable conditions.
The Batwa people in Uganda are widely regarded as one of the most neglected communities in the country, facing systemic discrimination and exclusion. Their plight stems primarily from their forced eviction from ancestral forest lands in the name of conservation. This displacement has left them landless and with limited access to basic services such as education, healthcare, and sustainable livelihoods, resulting in extreme poverty and marginalization within Ugandan society.
The Batwa community currently lives in small, grass-thatched houses, while some structures are built using tarpaulins. Those with iron-sheet roofs often lack doors and windows. When it rains, parents are forced to carry their babies in their arms, while others flee their homes due to inadequate roofing.
This dire situation endangers both the elderly and infants. Tragically, some families have lost their babies due to poor housing conditions, exposing them to harsh weather and unsanitary living conditions. Additionally, the lack of proper shelter has led to widespread infestations of lice and jiggers, affecting the entire community.
The Batwa who live in the small houses with kids, parents usually have sex in front of kids. This has exposed children to early sex and others practice incest. Families with girls aged between 10-14 years, force them to marry so that they create space for themselves. Also, the men around Kisoro town have taken advantage of the prevailing to situation to have sexual intercourse with Batwa girls who are seeking for survival. This challenge has increased child mothers in Batwa community. These child mothers cannot afford basic needs for born babies like food, school fees, medication and clothes.
Due to poor housing conditions, many Batwa children have been forced to sleep on the streets of Kisoro town. As a result, a significant number of street children in Kisoro are from the Batwa community. In their struggle to survive, some have resorted to waylaying passersby and stealing money, putting them at risk of arrest for theft and burglary.
Recognizing these urgent challenges, Echo Highland Adventures was moved by the dire conditions in which the Batwa community lives. The organization proposes the construction of proper housing to provide families with privacy, as overcrowded living spaces have contributed to various social issues, including a lack of dignity in intimate relationships.
Additionally, Echo Highland Adventures aims to support young mothers by providing them with technical education, enabling them to acquire skills that will help them earn a living and sustain their families.
