About us

Bwindi Batwa Cultural Organization (BBCO) started in 2012 with a passion for helping the Batwa community help themselves through conservation and gorilla tourism. The project became a reality when the two founders, Timothy and Ezera, started renting an office in the center next to Uganda Wildlife Authority entrance gate. Here we started to receive bookings from tourists to show them how the Batwa used to live and how they wish to live for other generations of Batwa. The organization is also working to encourage passing down the cultural traditions from the Batwa elders to the community.

Batwa are an indigenous group of people who lived in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest until 1991, when the entire forest was reserved for Mountain Gorillas. Since then, the Batwa have been neglected in terms of integrating them into the society. With the formation of BBCO in 2012, we support the Batwa with healthcare, advocate for Batwa education, as well as informing them of their human rights, since they are a marginalized group.