The purpose of the project was to raise awareness of the right to Water and Sanitation among the Batwa as an indigenous group of people and lobby the Local Government leaders in Kabale to include them in decision making processes, making of Sub-County and District local government plans

GWEFODE organised sensitization training workshop on the Human right to water and sanitation; Consultative meeting with elected local government leaders, dialogue meetings, Advocated, promoted and protected women’s economic social and cultural rights such as the right to water and sanitation, the right to land and property, improved working conditions for Women Human rights defenders and established Human Rights and Water Protection Committees (HRWPC’s).


CAPTION: GWEFODE team, indigenous people (Batwa) community and Local Government Leaders pose for a photo after a training workshop on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation.

Among project results are the raising awareness of the Batwa on their right to Water and Sanitation and other economic, social and cultural rights enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous peoples; Information dissemination to different stakeholders and community members on the Water and Sanitation plight of Indigenous Batwa Communities. The beneficiaries and stakeholders have gained knowledge about water and sanitation as a human right, disputes resolution and mediation in case of water conflict, which the community will continue to make use of. The locals have now began to accept the Batwa as part of their community and this is manifested in reduced conflict over water between the Batwa and the Bakiga tribal communities as well as the founding of Human Rights and Water Protection Committees to monitor and report violation of Batwa’s Human Right to Water and Sanitation. During the consultative meeting, resolutions were recommended to all the Batwa stakeholders; district leaders, Civil society and the Government of Uganda, on enhancing the realization of Batwa’s Human right to Water, land and other resources and how best the Batwa can participate in decision making processes at all levels.  

GWEFODE has also undertaken Advocacy campaigning for Batwa’s natural resource rights to the United Nations. During implementation of our project, “Advocacy campaigning for the right to water and sanitation among indigenous Batwa communities in Uganda” in partnership with Fondation Danielle Mitterrand - France Libertes, we issued statements to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the Right of Indigenous Batwa Peoples to Land and Natural Resources in Uganda as part of our advocacy efforts on the right to water, land and other natural resources.

This statement is to draw the attention of the Human Rights Council to the violation of the right to land and Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous Batwa peoples in Southwestern Uganda through the conservation of Bwindi and Mgahinga and Ecuya protected areas; and called on the government of the Republic of Uganda to assume its responsibilities and its obligation to protect Indigenous Batwa people’s fundamental rights. For the full statement Click Here