The Batwa is the oldest known indigenous tribe in Uganda. Dating back to about 6000 years ago, they were originally forest dwellers, hunters, and food gatherers in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, some areas of the Congo’s Ituri Forest, parts of Rwanda and the Central African Republic. The Batwa people sustained a nomadic lifestyle even though they were not pastoralists. Unlike several Bantu t
ribes in East, Central or Southern Africa who were cattle keepers and agriculturists, the Batwa lived in thick, dark impenetrable forests sleeping in caves, trees, and thickets,
It is believed that the forest was officially given to them by their traditional God who also gave the other tribes (Bakiga and Bahima) hoes and cattle respectively. The friction between the Batwa and other tribes is historical, because the Batwa derived their survival from the forest they looked at themselves as keepers or owners of the forest who could not look on as pastoralists and agriculturalists cut down the forest for farm land. This is believed to have caused lots of conflicts between the Batwa and the other tribes. The friction however, reduced as time passed and new generations were born. In the early 1990s, the Batwa people of Uganda were kicked out of what is now Uganda’s major tourist destination, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. The forest is home to more than half of the world's remaining wild mountain gorillas. There are approximately 500 gorillas living in Uganda's national forests. Unfortunately, even though the Batwa lived in a peaceable existence with the gorillas, they were forced to leave their homes in the forests of Uganda. When they were kicked off of their land, they were not given any form of compensation or equipped with any skills for survival in the new and competitive environment. This left them as helpless, vulnerable conservation refugees. Due to the fact that they had no skills and were clueless about how other communities thrived, they were left to live a compromised lifestyle. This has caused many of them to have mysteriously died or have been killed. Those who have survived are scattered in approximately 60 locations. They live in small villages of up to 50 families with 8 to 10 people per household. They can be found in the Virunga Mountains and the Kisoro, Kanungu, Kabale, Rubanda and Bundibugyo districts in Uganda. They are usually squatters on other people’s land, or in some fortunate cases, on land purchased by different donor groups. Despite their hard work and tough resilience to the hardships of nature, the Batwa population has continuously shrunk to about 6000 individuals according the most recent population census. This is due to acute discrimination amidst the societies they dwell in and denial to free access to health care, clean water, education and even places of worship. This is arguably rooted to their history, where previously being forest dwellers and hunters was/is regarded to be barbaric, subhuman and useless. This, together with the myth that having s*x with Batwa women cures backache and HIV aids, has landed the already vulnerable Batwa females into the hands of users and rapists. This has created many cases of HIV/Aids and unwanted pregnancies. Thus, creating both a healthcare and economic crisis for an already vulnerable population. Friends of Batwa International intends to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Batwa, to restore their hope, to bridge the gap between the Batwa and other local tribes so that they can finally be appreciated as equal human beings and live together without discrimination. We want to help them to gain access to land, better housing, skills, jobs, food security, access to health care, education and clean water.
