Working towards sustainably

If anyone would like to come
And stay beneath Ugandan sun,
And eat like kings, and have some fun
The accommodation's almost done!

Edison, who has been the director of the village for 14 years now, embarked upon a long term project for the community about 6 years ago. His vision was to build 3 huts to accommodate tourists, a kitchen hut and a large central room/dining room with accommodation underneath for the teachers.

When we arrived the only part of this project to have been completed was the hut for us to stay in, and that had been finished just a few days before we got here! Things had been on hold for a long time due to lack of funds. We have managed to help both physically and financially so that the kitchen (pictured above) can be built, enough sand and cement has been carried up and down the hills to finish the other two tourist huts, and most importantly the main room has now been finished with the teachers accommodation completed, including the purchase of windows, doors and beds.

The teachers have now moved in, which makes a great difference to their day. Orishaba, who has been the head teacher for 5 years now, had to walk 3 hours to and from school everyday. She is 4 months pregnant, suffered with malaria last month and only gets paid when donations have been made. Two of the other teachers, Charity and Irena, live even further away so they are all delighted to have finally moved in!

I walked a third of the path with Orishaba one afternoon, but to call it a path is a generous term. It was precarious, steep, and sometimes not there at all!

Because the community has to rely mainly on donations as its only means of income, by creating an environment for visitors to come and stay and/or volunteer, Edison hopes to ensure a more reliable income for the community. He does not want to charge for accommodation but to keep it on a donation-only basis, giving tourists of any budget the chance to come and stay and be part of the community.


Steve has been doing his fair share of painting aswell, making signs to be put up on the road to help promote the project.

So, if you fancy a stay in a beautiful area where you can help make a difference, get in touch. There's plenty to do and see!