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Shivan & Beckham in Sweaters

Two Batwa siblings, Shivan and Beckham, wear their school sweaters and look healthy and happy.

Happy Nossi

Single Batwa mom Nossi is overjoyed at her new home that the community built her from funds raised from basket sales and donations. Here she is inside of her new mosquito net.

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A minority Indigenous tribe, the Batwa were evicted at gunpoint from their ancestral rainforest home in 1991—which they'd shared with the mountain gorillas from time immemorial. Falsely blamed for the gorillas' decline, most Batwa people now live in extreme poverty, experience daily hunger, and are exploited by other tribes.

We work in partnership with the Batwa community on issues they identify, including education, community development, and conservation. We train youth in effective leadership, provide career and livelihood opportunities, and partner Batwa traditions such as dance with popular and traditional African music, sports, and technology use.

Trees🌳 Bees🐝 and Goats🐐 Please!

Photos Copyright (c) 2024 Wendee Nicole

We’re thrilled to launch our annual fundraiser for the Batwa of Kalehe Village—a powerful way for you to invest in sustainable food, ecological restoration, and dignity for a marginalized Indigenous community that lost access to its ancestral forest.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

LEARN MORE: Check out our blog posts, including our intro post about the fundraising campaign, the importance of meat to an impoverished community, how trees help the Batwa culture, and how bees bring back one of the most valuable resources to Batwa—honey.

DONATE: at our Donate page, with Paypal, Venmo, CashApp or Paypal Giving Fund. RSF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a Guidestar Gold-certified charity.

SIGN UP for our Newsletter to keep posted on SALES, GIVEAWAYS, & SPECIALS for our Fair Trade Shop, plus other opportunities. Send your email via the pop-up on this home page.

SHOP: We just uploaded many brand new one-of-a-kind baskets and other goods to our Online Fair Trade Store! All proceeds benefit our work with the Batwa!

SPONSOR A STUDENT! For a tax-deductible $45/mo or annual $500 donation, you'll help cover school fees, supplies, transportation, and more. The kids we sponsor are the same ones whose families will receive goats, bees, and trees. Learn more.

RSF Team Uganda & USA

To see all Batwa people celebrated instead of victimized; educated instead of illiterate; healthy instead of ailing; financially secure instead of impoverished; proud of their culture instead of ashamed; and hopeful about their opportunities in Uganda and beyond.

OUR VISION

Want to travel to Uganda and work among the Batwa? Let's talk about volunteering abroad. We will provide meals and training, you need to buy a plane ticket! Inquire today.

Other volunteer work can be done from anywhere in the world. Are you a Connector? An influencer? Raise awareness, connect your school or group with ours for cultural awareness. Email us!

GET INVOLVED

Donate via Paypal through our Donate page, or mail a check or money order to the address listed in the footer below, and on our C ontact us page.

Your US tax-deductible donations support innovative community projects in SW Uganda that empower communities, families, and individuals.

DONATE