Bwindi Mgahinga Conservation Trust (BMCT) yesterday launched a one-year Sustainable Education Responses for Batwa Children (SEREB) project worth 150 million shillings to enhance Batwa education in Kisoro district.
The USAID Funded project was launched at the Kisoro district headquarters in presence of district officials and BMCT administrators with the major objective of improving Batwa children’s perception of education, their parenting, and saving skills, and also equip teachers with appropriate skills to relate and train Batwa pupils.
According to the Trust Administrator Tumwesigye Wilberforce, the project covers three districts Kisoro, Rubanda, and Kanungu. He added that only Mabuyemeru and Muganza primary schools will benefit from this project as pilot schools.
Tumwesigye urged the Batwa parents and children to embrace the project so that they can acquire knowledge that will lead them to a better life.
The Kisoro district LCV Chairman, Abel Bizimana also asked Batwa children to consider going to school first because they are disadvantaged because of a lack of fundamental knowledge. He noted that Knowledge is an asset that nobody can take from one’s head. He also urged BMCT to consider extending adult education to the Batwa parents so that they can understand the importance of educating their children and how to parent their children.
Bizimana decried the continued redundancy and prostitution tendencies among the Batwa ladies and called upon the educated Batwa to advocate for the betterment of their fellows.
The Kisoro Resident district commissioner, Hajji Shafiq Ssekandi Sengooba applauded BMCT for supporting the government’s plans of lowering illiteracy levels among Ugandans and implored Batwa to desist from dropping out of schools for the betterment of their future.
