Batwa Land Purchase
Sustain for Life seeks to deliver a comprehensive land acquisition and training programme that will enable the Batwa pygmies to achieve healthier, happier and more sustainable livelihoods. Initially we aim to help the 40 Batwa families living in the worst Batwa slum in Kisoro, Uganda. Without land on which to farm and provide a source of sustenance and income, the Batwa in Kisoro struggle to meet the most basic needs. This project seeks to end this situation by purchasing arable land for the Batwa to live, build their homes, and farm.
Self-Sufficiency for the Batwa
This project aims to end the dire situation for the Batwa community in Kisoro by helping them to move to nearby areas where they will have access to farm lands upon which they can develop sustainable livelihoods. We aim to give the Batwa the skills and confidence to make the most of the land that is available to them – helping them to become sustainably self-sufficient. We will provide each beneficiary with additional resettlement support in the form of a house, pit latrine, rain water collection, store and kitchen as well as a food support to help the community in the time it takes for their first crops to be harvested. In addition, we will provide each beneficiary with training in sustainable farming, psycho-social support, education in health, hygiene and nutrition, and also provide additional assitance in the form of seeds, animals, tools as well as regular on site support from an agronomist.
Several land acquisition programmes have been implemented in the past for the Batwa in Southwest Uganda and many lessons can be learned from their previous successes and failures. Importantly, experience has shown that the most crucial component of any land acquisition programme is the full participation from the intended beneficiaries. As a result this project seeks to involve the Batwa beneficiaries at all stages of the project starting before the land identification stage. Sustain for Life is already working with the Batwa through several projects in the region, including the Batwa Health Outreach implemented through St Francis Mutolere Hospital in Kisoro.
How You Can Help
A little funding will go a very long way in helping the Batwa, some of the poorest and most marginalised people on the planet. Your support will make all the difference between a life of misery and a self-sustainable future.
