MGAHINGA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION
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  • Home
  • About MCDO
    • The Problem
    • Our Impact
    • Our Partners >
      • Transboundary Work
    • The MCDO Team
  • Projects
    • Conservation and Environmental Education Project (CEEP)
    • Education and Sponsorship Programs >
      • The Batwa Community
      • Student and Youth Exchange Programs >
        • USA Summer School Programs
    • Tourist Accommodation >
      • Accommodation in Kisoro Town
      • Accommodation at Lake Mutanda
      • Accommodation in Mgahinga
    • Mgahinga Community Junior School
    • Conservation and Livelihoods >
      • Bee keeping
      • Handicrafts and livelihoods in Uganda
      • Tree Planting in Mgahinga
      • Microfinance and Village Savings Associations
      • Irish potato growing
    • Veterinary Programme >
      • Basongora Community
      • Health Care Access
  • Tourism
    • Amajambere Iwacu Community Camp
    • Mutanda Eco-community Centre
    • Tour Activities
  • Get Involved
    • Donate
    • Jobs and Internship at MCDO
    • Volunteering >
      • Volunteer information
      • Cost of Volunteering in Uganda
      • Volunteer Travels / Volontarresor
      • Uganda fact profile
  • Blog
    • MCDO welcomes SEDCU Directors to Kisoro, Uganda
    • MCDO/4H Sweden Youth Exchange Program
    • Gallery
  • Contact US

The Problem

At the time of creating Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in 1991, many people who inhabited the Mgahinga game reserve were forced to leave their land and resettled in other parts of central and western Uganda. The high cost of land in Kisoro district led many to migrate further away, and many others into poverty. Some families who managed to get land close to the park settled near the boundary and others went to some far places in the country. The indigenous Batwa community, who could used to survive on hunting were left with no land or housing. The Batwa are part of MCDO target group and are one of the marginalized communities in Uganda. The common challenges faced by the Batwa community include poor housing, lack of access to education and medical care.

By 1994, tourism started picking up and a number of tourists started visiting Mgahinga Gorilla National Park to track mountain gorillas. After realizing that tourism was not benefiting local communities who lost almost everything they owned, in 2003, MCDO was founded to use tourism as a resource to address the social challenges facing this community. 

As of today, several community initiatives have been put in place: two community campsites, a sponsorship program for disadvantaged students, women handicrafts groups, a kindergarten and a micro credit savings scheme.


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CONTACT DETAILS

P.O. Box 280, Kisoro, Uganda
Phone: +256-779-917370
Email: info@mcdou.org

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