COMMUNITY PROSPERITY
FROM BIKES TO BUSINESS: TOURISM EMPOWERS WOMEN
BWINDI, UGANDA
Tourism, education and business incubation can collaboratively enhance community well-being. A program in Uganda helps women overcome potentially life-threatening situations by fostering their tourism-related businesses. Supporting these business endeavors directly benefits a destination’s residents and changes lives.
What's
changing
Women in every country often face barriers that limit access to economic opportunities. For those in destinations where visitors seek authentic, local experiences, tourism can provide paths toward greater financial independence.
What's already
possible
In Kanungu, Uganda, not far from the famed gorilla treks of Bwindi, a transformative initiative called Ride 4 a Woman is leveraging local tourism to assist rural women who struggle with poverty, HIV or domestic violence. Founded in 2009, this tourism enterprise supports women with developing goods and businesses for tourists. Their endeavors range from handicrafts to guest houses. The program provides economic opportunity, a safe location to gather, and counseling for women dealing with domestic abuse and other serious struggles.
Seizing
the opportunity
Ride 4 a Woman started with renting bikes to tourists and now also operates a center that provides training, hosts a shop featuring locally-made products and facilitates other programs that focus on supporting local women financially and socially. Donations that pay school fees enable women to invest more time in their professional development while their children get an education that would otherwise be out of reach. Additionally, Ride 4 a Woman focuses on health by providing access to clean water and solar panels to power lights in homes, replacing paraffin candles and their toxic fumes.
Standout
tactic
The center provides microfinance opportunities for women looking to establish their own businesses. This program demands a high level of commitment from applicants who must demonstrate the viability of their business ideas and their dedication to implement them.
How
it helps
More than 300 women from 11 villages have used the services of Ride 4 a Woman. Micro loans provided by Ride 4 a Woman have helped over 200 women start businesses in 10 different fields. The center has trained 100 women in traditional crafts, and 60 women work for the organization to create products sold in the center’s shop. The donation program sends more than 200 children to school. The community has access to 150 liters (40 gallons) of clean drinking water every day, and 50 homes have access to electricity.
Diving
deeper
How can organizations, like Ride 4 a Woman, avoid overdependence on tourism for their success, given that fluctuations in the global economy could affect their programs?
Increasing
impact
Relationships with local and regional organizations could enhance the volume of shared resources to help program participants and create more robust support networks.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
