Socio-Eco Tourism

ROBLEM

The creation of National parks and game reserves led to indigenous communities being barred from removing anything from these gazetted areas. To make matters worse, rebel militias occupied the surrounding mountains during a prolonged war. As a result of these and other societal pressures, the community now experiences high rates of HIV/AIDS, illiteracy, and unemployment. The previously thriving communities now depend entirely on subsistence agriculture for livelihood and survival – frequently leaving them on the edge of hunger and poverty. Some have turned to illegal activities like poaching and deforestation for survival, further threatening communities’ economic and environmental health.

SOLUTION

At PARC-Uganda, we are not just providing social services to the community, but RESTORING HOPE while promoting culture, increasing the connection of people and nature, and showing case the beauty of Kasese both locally and internationally.

We have been doing village walks, hills hiking, and traditional dances with for visitors as part of community engagement and giving an opportunity to visitors to get to know better our community.

Our friends, Ryan and family from Spain (2022), Dr Prasanna from USA/India (2017-2019), Edward from UK (2013-2018), Davis from USA (2018) and Matthew and colleagues from USA (2011 – 2016) had chance to do such a community tour with us and can share their experience with you.

We are expanding the activity to a social eco-tourism project to generate income from travelers, while helping the community to invest in nature, improve practices on land use, agriculture, wetland restoration and making participatory community mapping and planning.

PARC-Uganda has started this project to tap into the revenue generated by travelers (tourists) through offering community tours (trail) outside the Rwenzori National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park – both are UNESCO Heritage Sites.

The trail is a one-to-three-day trek through rural villages in the foothills of Rwenzori Mountain National Park, with multi-days options providing overnight lodging and camping in the community. This project therefore creates a sustainable tourism corridor that aims to empower local communities, enhance livelihoods, and promote environmental and cultural preservation.

The trail (walk) starts and ends at the Shine Preparatory School, passing through Ugandan villages with typical rural homesteads with various traveler-interested stopping points along it. These stop-overs include but not limited to households in the communities where travelers (tourists/ trekkers) can meet community members, experience cultural events and community life, and other naturally enjoyable scenic attractions.

In addition, to the trail, we also plan to develop / establish a cultural heritage museum with the aim to preserve and protect the cultural heritage of the multiple ethnic groups that live in the area for future generations.

The project aim is not only to increase household incomes but also to enhance the community’s ability to conserve the nature and heritage of the indigenous cultures and support PARC-Uganda’s projects, particularly the Shine School.

This project will connect social services (volunteerism and kindness), adventure, culture, agriculture, and conservation to increase community well-being. Doing so will allow tourists to experience community life and appreciate the daily lives of the locals.

The project will benefit the entire community by creating income and employment for site owners, guides, artisans, children and teachers at Shine School, and local farmers (food producers). Therefore, the net revenues generated from projects goes back to local community and PARC-Uganda to help our projects attain stability and move towards sustainability.

The over impact will be building community well-being by providing conservation education, travel-industry jobs, sustainable income stream, and meaning for the indigenous communities around Mount Rwenzori National Park in southwestern Uganda near the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)