Natural Habitat Adventures: Ride 4 A Woman Seeding New Growth in Uganda
Outside of The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda, life can be challenging and difficult to find jobs and career opportunities. Ride 4 A Woman initially began in 2009 by local women living just outside of the park as a bicycle rental shop focused on providing bicycles to tourists – a fresh way to earn income. Over time, there grew a need to learn the skills for repairing bicycles. Now Ride 4 A Woman teaches locals valuable skills beyond just bike repair, including craft production for the tourism industry. All aspects of the project support entrepreneurial efforts for the Buhoma women. Natural Habitat Philanthropy came into the picture by purchasing two commercial sewing machines that have helped expand Ride 4 A Woman businesses within the local community. Today, more than 300 women from 11 villages now use or work at the Ride 4 A Woman community center.
How this fits into the larger ecosystem is that Natural Habitat Adventures recognizes that in order to save a species that attracts many adventure travelers, you need also the support of the locals who share their living space. The agricultural areas that push up against the boundaries of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park unfortunately exist as some of the most densely populated in Africa, and exhibit some of the fastest human population growth-rates in the world. To support the people and the conservation of the mountain gorillas which are key wildlife in this environment and a driver for tourism for the park, Natural Habitats Adventures decided to invest in women as an important lever for change for this community.
Countless studies have shown that when women have opportunities for more education and greater control over family finances, this results in smaller family size and increased health and well-being for the entire household. This directly benefits conservation of the mountain gorillas because smaller, healthier, more prosperous families have less need to encroach on the forest. Also, when women create businesses that serve the booming tourism industry, their families are more likely to want to protect the gorillas because they know they are benefiting from their presence.
The sales of the beautiful products created by the women from stunning African fabrics have become one of the key income streams supporting Ride 4 A Woman. Providing the organization with pedal sewing machines was vital in kickstarting their growing success and Natural Habitat Adventures is proud to have been able to spark this change. Besides pedal sewing and other activities, Ride 4 A Woman also offers micro-finance to budding businesswomen looking to create and build on their own entrepreneurial ideas. Over 100 women are currently engaged in the program across more than 10 different types of business initiative, ranging from second hand clothes stores to restaurants to tailor-made dresses and money transfer businesses.
Ride 4 A Woman has proven to be a successful business that supports The Bwindi Impenetrable National Park’s people, wildlife and the community at large. Thanks to Natural Habitat Adventures for their work in making such positive impacts for this important adventure travel destination!