Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation (NCCDF) – Nkuringo is located in Bwindi National Park on a hillside bordering the Bwindi Forest with an extended view of Congo.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, found in southwestern Uganda, is home to half of the world’s mountain gorilla population, making it an exciting tourist destination.
Different income-generating activities are carried out in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, which makes it necessary to improve the standards of living for the local people.
Several community-based organizations have been established to improve the quality of life, and the NCCDF is one of them.
Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation is a community-based project that supports women by selling handmade crafts made by locals to tourists.
It also trains orphans to be creative, teaching them how to sing and dance for visitor entertainment programs at accommodations as a way of earning a living.
Activities Organized by the Nkuringo Community Conservation & Development Foundation (NCCDF)
Below are some of the activities organized by the Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation (NCCDF).
- A planned community walk allows tourists to meet local people and experience their unique African culture.
- Tourists get a glimpse into the daily life of local people, including how they wash clothes by hand in traditional ways, grind grains, and cook traditional meals, adding to the whole experience.
- Tourists can visit traditional huts, grinding stones, distilling apparatus for making waragi, and cooking pots, all at Sessile’s home during the community walk.
- Interested tourists can meet a local traditional healer with great knowledge of herbs who treats people using natural remedies. The healer shares his knowledge on how herbs are used to heal certain diseases.
- Tourists can also visit Nicholas, the blacksmith, whose work dates back to the Stone Age. Nicholas hammers metals into utensils, hoes, arrows, and pangas.
- Tourists can proceed to schools within the community and engage with children who study under tough conditions but are eager to learn for a brighter future.
Contribution to Community Development
The Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation also owns Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge, located outside Bwindi Forest. The lodge shares its profits with the community, creating benefits such as health clinics and opportunities for local people to benefit directly from gorilla tourism.
Through the NCCDF, local people are employed to participate in activities such as guided walking tours, which provide tourists with an inside look at village life.
The foundation also funds community projects, including profitable vegetable and livestock farms.
In summary, the efforts of the Nkuringo Community Conservation and Development Foundation have greatly improved the quality of life in Bwindi.
