Projects

The Mgahinga Community Development Organisation (M.C.D.O.) is an organisation that is situated in the south west of Uganda in the district of Kisoro at the foothills of the famous Virunga volcanoes home to the endangered mountain gorillas and acts as an umbrella organisation to our projects.

Our aim is to protect and conserve the environment of Lake Mutanda and the surrounding area through education and sustainable development to benefit the community by erasing poverty through eco tourism and development for future generations.

The communities surrounding the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park are rural and since having to be relocated after the formation of the national park they have had to come together to find a way of working together to be able to move forward to secure their future and to develop in a sustainable way for the future and future generations. This was why the M.C.D.O. and the projects were formed.

All of the projects are helping the communities to become self reliant, independent and secure. Importantly, the communities have seen that both people and wildlife can live in harmony together and both can benefit.

The people understand that the way forward is achieved through education to erase poverty, and conservation and sustainable development to secure their future and the future of their children. It is very inspiring to see that in a relatively short time the local communities have and are still achieving their aims and realising their goals.

The Amajambere Iwacu Community Group (A.I.C.G.)

This was founded in 1993 as a response to change of living conditions for people living in the villages situated in and near the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Many of the people had to be relocated when the park was founded in 1991 and this relocation had a great impact on many of the locals and their livelihood.

They had to find away of coming together and working together to secure their livelihoods for the future in a sustainable way.

The objectives of the group are -

  • To improve the livelihoods of people living around the park.
  • Educate local people about environmental conservation.
  • Involve the community in conservation of the land and forest.
  • Give the opportunity of earning money from tourists through handicrafts, guiding etc.
  • Involve the community through local employment at the park campground and other activities.

Through these objectives the local communities have learnt that everyone can benefit from conservation when it is sustainable.

The Mgahinga Community Sponsor Department (M.C.S.D.)

This was formed in 2002 and it aims to give children and young adults the chance to be educated and reach their potential, and by doing so a chance to erase poverty through education and have a brighter future.

It works through sponsors paying the children’s school fees. We have had many children educated through this scheme and young adults. Some have gone on to university and others have already graduated and are now in full time employment.

If anyone would like to know more about sponsoring a child in our programme please contact us.

The Mgahinga Parkview Credit Savings (M.P.C.S.)

This was started in 1999 by community members from the surrounding areas living near the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. These members had to relocate when the park was formed. The credit savings scheme was put together to help the community develop and establish their livelihood, which is mainly farming. The aim is to promote quality community based income by offering loans so as to benefit the community.

When the members had to relocate they were left with no alternative livelihood so they decided to contribute an amount of money so as to offer loans to those who needed to carry out their income generating activities after realising that capital was the main problem.

The objectives are –

  • To share ideas and skills.
  • To pull money for credit to members.
  • To improve farming and marketing of community agricultural produce.
  • Health insurance for all members.

On an environmental and conservation level -

  • To improve water sanitation in the community.
  • Tree planting.
  • Improve on household energy by constructing improved cooking stoves such as charcoal stoves so they no longer need to cut down trees for
  • firewood to cook with.

Economic activities include –

  • To offer small loans.
  • House renting.
  • Public telecommunications.

For the future they need a community information office.

Mgahinga Community Heritage (M.C.H.)

This was developed to conserve the heritage of the local area and the local people in a sustainable way for the future and the future generations. Activities include community walks, story telling, entertainment, cave exploration, and handcrafts.

Mgahinga Agricultural Scheme (M.A.G.S.)

This was set up to improve the livelihoods of the rural people. Activities include beekeeping, Irish potato project, and clean seed storage and multiplication.

Gisozi Duter’imbere Farmers Association (G.D.F.A.)

This is a community based organisation formed in 2002 by a group of women and a few men who were in the ‘Functional Adult Literacy (F.A.L.) class, where adults who did not get the chance to go to school could learn to read, write, sanitation issues, basic counting and other issues that would help them carry out their activities in daily life. This is very important especially for the women as they are left to farm and bring up the children while their men are working away in the big cities. The wish is to improve community based income through sustainable farming for sustainable development.

The mission is to ensure awareness in agriculture, the environment, and education for sustainable development.

The objectives are –

  • To share ideas and skills.
  • To pull money for credit to members and non members.
  • To improve literacy status of members.
  • To ensure food security in the community.
  • To improve water sanitation in the community.
  • To improve on household energy by constructing charcoal stoves so that trees need not be cut down to supply firewood for cooking.

The group activities are –

  • To cultivate Irish potatoes on a large scale for the markets.
  • Tree planting.
  • To be able to hire labour when it is necessary, especially at planting and harvesting time on the farms.
  • Nursery school teaching for all children in the surrounding areas.

The association has achieved many great things since it was formed. The majority of members can now read and write. They have bought a piece of land to help them develop further. Constructed a fourroom building which is now used as classrooms. They have managed to introduce a nursery school into the community.

For the project to be secure and sustainable for the future the development of group members through seminars, training by NGOs and visits to other communities to see how they have developed in a sustainable way is very important.

The have a five year work plan that includes –

  • Site extension for agriculture and the nursery school.
  • The construction of a water tank for the nursery school and neighbours, so everyone can have plenty, clean water that is safe to drink.
  • A new nursery school building.
  • Sewing and knitting machines for the women in the community.
  • Construct a store house for agricultural produce.
  • Ensure project sustainability for the future.
  • Introduce a vocational training centre.
  • Practise organic farming.
  • Each member having a tree plantation.

Mgahinga Community Nursery School (M.C.N.S.)

This was started by the (G.D.F.A.) in 2006. The nursery provides the opportunity for all children to have an education from nursery age to adulthood.

Objectives are-

  • To provide quality education to all families.
  • To promote gender balance by providing education for boys and girls.
  • To sustain culture and awareness among the children.
  • To introduce the importance of conservation and the environment to the children.
  • To create job opportunities.

Future plans are –

  • To ensure project sustainability for the future.
  • Have access to clean, safe water even in times of drought.

The nursery school faces many challenges such as –

  • The lack of water at the site especially during droughts.
  • They need to finish the classrooms which are still under construction.
  • They need more land for a playground.
  • Teachers salaries need to be addressed, parents have the responsibility to pay them by paying school fees which is difficult for the parents.

To help the nursery school meet these challenges we are appealing for your help in anyway that you can and for more information see our special appeal on the website.

The Mgahinga Community Development Organisation hopes for a better future for the community where illiteracy will be history and where environment will have been conserved for generations. Together we will succeed.

Page last updated : 01/10/2007