Would you like to get involved in the development of the Batwa people in Kisoro district, southwestern Uganda?
We have several projects taking place at this moment!

• Construction and maintenance work
  Help us build mud houses or permanent houses for the Batwa people residing in unsafe improvised shelters in the various Batwa settlements in Kisoro district. Do you have any plumbing or electrician skills? Help us bring water closer to the Batwa villages and equip Batwa houses with electricity to improve their quality of life. We are seeking to enlarge our projects and organisation: your skills might be also required to extend our infrastructure, e.g., building classrooms for our Batwa School and Batwa Skill Development Centre.
• Teaching Batwa children
  Do you enjoy working with children? Help us develop English skills among the Batwa pupils and students to grant them a bright future allowing them to become the leaders of their own development in the upcoming years. You may also assist us design the best curriculum for the Batwa School we plan on building with the support of the educated Batwa who are part of our organisation.
  This school will prioritize the dissemination of the Batwa indigenous knowledge and culture – including the recognition and correct use of forest medical plants, hunting and handcraft techniques, the traditional religion, songs, dances, tales, and customs – while making sure to teach worldwide relevant subjects such as English, Mathematics, Sciences, etc.
• Batwa Skill Development Centre
  Teach relevant skills and empower the Batwa who are not in school to allow them to become part of the job market in their area! Teach basic Mathematics for them to be able to count money, basic English for them to be able to have simple conversations with foreign visitors, and other skills you may have and that can be used to get a job. Are you a carpenter, an electrician, a plumber? Can you teach computer skills? Can you teach any art? Do you know how to produce soap or detergent out of natural ingredients? Please, join our Batwa Skill Development Centre and share!
• Agricultural projects
  Are you an agriculture expert? Teach the Batwa communities the best farming practices to enhance soil properties on the small plots of available land and help them achieve food security and economic self-sufficiency! Do you have knowledge and skills in livestock raising or beekeeping? Can you teach how to create compost, natural fertilizer and biogas out of organic waste? You can help the Batwa enhance their livelihoods in many ways!
• Awareness campaigns
  Help us raise awareness on burning issues such as the importance of education, the transmission of HIV, family planning, and the side effects of alcohol. Since we value and respect the environment, our Volunteer Centre promotes waste sorting and recycling: help us raise awareness on the dos and don’ts concerning the management of both organic and inorganic waste.
• Managing social media and fundraising
  Are you good at social media? Help us manage our Instagram and Facebook profiles to make our cause and projects known to as many people as possible. Assist us with starting successful fundraising campaigns to make sure the Batwa can enjoy a bright future.

Our main office is located in Rubuguli, Kisoro district, Uganda. However, our volunteers stay at BIDO’s Volunteer Centre located in Nteko’s Batwa settlement, Kisoro district, Uganda. We provide our volunteers with accommodation and three meals per day.

Breakfast usually consists of coffee, black tea or milk, honey, bananas or other fruits, and chapati or other kinds of bread. Lunch and dinner consist of beans, g-nuts, and rarely meat accompanied with Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, matoke (made of bananas), posho (made of white maize), yams, and cabbage. Therefore, we will be very happy to host volunteers following a vegetarian or vegan diet.

We grow many organic fruits and vegetables in our own garden which will be served to the volunteers and used to cook the meals for them. The volunteers may sleep in wooden huts that have been recently built. Mosquito nets, bed sheets, and blankets are provided. At this moment, our toilets are not flushing toilets, but in the future we would love to implement them to enhance the comfort for our volunteers. Ugandan showers are available onsite: hot water can be provided by heating water using charcoal. Wi-Fi is currently not available; however, the area is covered by good network and 4G Internet, that is why we would recommend getting a Ugandan phone number. We are planning on bringing Wi-Fi to our Volunteer Centre in Nteko very soon!
In order to prepare the meals, provide accommodation and support our initiatives, we would like to ask you for a contribution of 20,000 UGX per day (approximately 5.5 USD).
We will ask you to volunteer up to five hours per day, five days per week. In your free time, you may decide to explore the natural beauty of Kisoro district – in particular Lake Mutanda, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Mount Muhabura among others – and socialize with the local Batwa to learn their culture and way of life, and possibly share yours. In Nteko and the surrounding villages, you can find bottled water, as well as many shops for all your needs.

We are aiming at creating a welcoming, energetic, and inspired international community of volunteers and locals in BIDO’s Volunteer Centre to share knowledge and skills and empower the Batwa through the preservation of their cultural identity in today’s changing world. Kenneth, our Volunteer Coordinator, will be your main advisor during your stay! Contact him now and ask him anything about volunteering with BIDO!