Maria Baryamujura
Through her non-profit organization, Community Based Tourism Initiatives (COBATI), [www.cobati.or.ug/] Maria Baryamujura is developing community-based tourism that allows people to use their culture and livelihoods to benefit from tourism, creating sustainable rural lifestyles, and expanding tourism offerings to capitalize on the growing sector in Uganda. Maria is combating urban migration by helping rural households and communities in Uganda to reap economic rewards from tourism. She is changing traditional perceptions of what constitutes tourism by turning various aspects of rural living and environment into tourist attractions, and creating income-generating activities for rural people. Maria is empowering rural people living in resource rich areas in Uganda, who are disadvantaged by rural poverty, to improve their family incomes through tourism in the framework of small homestead enterprises. These household enterprises form the basis for infrastructure development and other government services, providing incentive for people to stay in rural areas. Maria creates a new understanding of tourism among visitors, rural communities, international and local tour operators and government officials. To tap into the increased tourist traffic that accrues from this new definition of tourism, she organizes rural communities into a network of viable and sustainable community-based tourism enterprises as competent service providers. She then turns these successful community based enterprises into role models for other households and community groups to transform their homesteads and livelihoods into income-generating ventures.
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Poverty in Africa is predominantly rural. More than 70% of the continent’s poor people live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for food an livelihood, yet in recent years, many rural areas have suffered from a decline in the capacity of agriculture to provide livelihood for their inhabitants and development assistance to agriculture is decreasing. In sub Saharan Africa, more than 218 million people live in extreme poverty.
In many African economies, the rural situation is characterized by continuing stagnation, poor production, low income and increasing vulnerability of poor people. Lack of access to markets is a problem for many small scale enterprises in Africa. The rural population is often isolated beyond reach of safety nets. They are vulnerable to diseases like HIV/AIDS which has put an unbearable strain on poor rural households where labour is the primary income earning asset. In addition, health care services are often inadequate or non-existent. Read more...
With effect from 1st September 2007, the ban on polythene bags commonly known as "Kavera" in Uganda took effect. Uganda joined her neighbours in the East African community in banning a material that has wreaked havoc on the environment. It has now become illegal to import these polythene bags and its use is being phased out. The polythene bags have been a major environmental hazard and a menace for many years especially in both urban and rural settings where mushrooming commercial activities increased the demand for "kaveera" for packaging among other uses. Read more...
Another inspiring woman that I met through my community tourism work in Uganda, was a successful zero grazing farmer named Perusi Karamuzi. Perusi is helping to pave the road for positive change in her community.
Perusi Karamuzi – Model Homestead Farming Read more...
Last week I shared with you my story of Jane Kahima, a rural woman in Mbarara district in western Uganda, who found that she could use her midwifery skills to build her own home based domiciliary. Now I’d like to share the story of another woman who is setting an example of positive change in her community
Monica Muhozi, a home-base flower gardener, is also an example of how a rural housewife turned into a successful business owner. Read more...
My community tourism work takes me through many areas in rural Uganda. I get opportunity to meet and interact with the ordinary people. The majority perceive their villages and homesteads as poor and backward and themselves as without opportunity. The unfortunate trend is for able people moving to towns and cities in search of economic opportunities, leaving behind mostly women and the elderly.
Due to lack of knowledge and exposure, they do not see the potential hidden within their surrounding environment, indigenous knowledge and cultures. All is not lost, though amongst the community there are some who have not given up and are not waiting for government or donors to improve their circumstances. In a bid to survive, they have become innovative. Read more...
