How a Chance Encounter Led Me to Support the Batwa of Uganda
- Hyrum Huskey
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Did you ever meet someone for a couple minutes and then never meet that person again, yet, later in life, that person’s actions would have profound influence on your own life? I have. That person was Ms. Wendee Nicole, founder of Redemption Song Foundation (RSF). I met Wendee at a conference for Environmental Journalists in the 2010s. I wanted to ask her about an online nature writing course she was teaching then. Someone pointed her out to me, so I introduced myself and asked my questions. The whole encounter probably lasted less than three minutes. We never met again in person, though I signed up for her class and have interacted with her on social media in the years since.
This one chance encounter led me to—years later— support the Batwa of Uganda!
Fast forward a few years when I noticed that Wendee had visited Uganda and reported on how conservation and human livelihoods can coexist after receiving a reporting grant from Mongabay. She visited the Great Apes of Bwindi National Forest in Uganda, tracking endangered mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. During her stay in Uganda, Wendee also reported on the Indigenous Batwa tribe, who were living in the forest until the government evicted them. In 1991, the Batwa were suddenly thrust into the outside social and economic strata of the country, which is already underdeveloped. At less than 1% of the country's population, and facing new diseases and alcohol, with no formal education and little support, they lived shorter lives and suffered higher child mortality rates than the rest of Uganda's people. This is changing, but they still face disparities, such as lower primary and secondary school graduation rates, higher mortality, and higher HIV rates.
As former hunters and gatherers, the Batwa had no formal education or vocational skills immediately adaptable for living outside the forest. They were an impoverished class in their forced unfamiliar environment. But those in Kalehe Village and the surrounding area, near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park's headquarters in Buhoma, now had an American friend with a compassionate heart! Wendee took it upon herself to do something to help these impoverished families halfway around the world. She sold her home and moved to Uganda for several years to start Redemption Song Foundation.
Her dedication gave wings to my own desire to help. I became a long-term donor and have started sponsoring Andrew in his educational endeavors. He currently finished up Senior 3 and if he completed Senior 4 next year, will be part of the <1% of Batwa who complete secondary school.
Redemption Song Foundation is not a large foundation with a multi-storied glass-walled headquarters full of staff. RSF does not run daily TV ads for new donors. It focuses directly on its mission, is very transparent, and funds go to long-term improvement of the lives of the Batwa. Ms. Nicole runs the registered non-profit foundation while supporting herself with her writing. Still, in its eleven years of existence, Redemption Song Foundation has accomplished so much!
RSF has built better houses for families living in stick and mud shelters. It provides elementary (primary) and high school (secondary) educational opportunities through tuition scholarships. It has provided solar panels for electricity, constructed access to a fresh water drinking system, and is working to create a Sustainable Food Forest in partnership with the Batwa, with reforestation of native and fruit trees, coffee arabica, and more. Food and clothing are provided where necessary for health. It is easy to see where your donations go and how they are raising the opportunities of the Batwa children’s future. That is why I remain a sustaining donor!
Won’t you join me in supporting Redemption Song Foundation in their efforts to empower the Indigenous Batwa people, and make a sustaining monthly donation?
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