We took off time with our guests to go visit a Batwa homestead ( the ones pictured singing and dancing). The Batwa are a highly marginalised indigenous group that lived in the forest until 15 years ago when their forest home was turned into a National park and they were forced to leave without any compensation.
The climb to and walk around Sagitwe hill was memorable. Its the green circular hill in the pics. It has a valley (caldera) at the top with great views of the countryside.
Among the homes visited was Miriam Cyimpayes home. She is the girl who lives with her grand mother. Their house was so old and broken down (shown in earlier posts) but now the family has built a new one. We thank her sponsor for the contribution to the building project. They are now staying in it though its not yet fully complete. Works are underway to build a kitchen and finish the doors inside. This family is very needy and still needs our support to fully complete the house.
We also visited POTTERS VILLAGE, a home for orphaned and abandoned babies.
Our other memorable experience was the visit to a platform in MGAHINGA FOREST NATIONAL PARK, a home for the famous mountain gorillas. We had breathtaking views of the volcanic mountains, the forest and so many plants.
Another highlight was the visit to the school where most of the children study. We had interactions with them as they shared their dreams, favorite subjects etc. Off course they didnt forget to sing and dance a little!
Many thanks to Aunt Hope (wearing black in the pics) for hosting our visitors in her home, and to Judith, our volunteer, for moving around with us and helping with interpretation.
We encourage our friends, sponsors and well wishers to consider coming for a visit to our project. We will ensure you get a memorable experience of our beautiful countryside and culture.
