Support Local Communities in Murchison Falls National Park Uganda

Supporting local communities in Murchison Falls National Park is a good gesture and human. Through the support, these communities can survive financially and get to live a good economic life.

Every community is made up of nice people and these communities are built from collaborations, great thinking, and from great relationships.

The local communities in Murchison Falls National Park are made up of a diverse group of people who surround the park.

These people dominate border areas of the park and these are;

The Banyoro (Bunyoro Kingdom) in the South
Alur people in the Northwest
Acholi people in the Northwest

All these people are in communities with diverse cultural histories you can encounter on your cultural safaris in Uganda. However, among all these communities surrounding the park, there are 2 impressive communities of Boomu Women’s Group and Mubako Community.

Tourists can visit these communities during their cultural tours in Murchison Falls National Park and get impressive insights into real Uganda culture.

However, during your visit, you can always support these communities by bringing bright-minded people together to help build the communities. Through this, you help build a local business, fight poverty, fight malnutrition, and build schools and hospitals.

Every support to the local communities in Murchison Falls National Park is appreciated as it brings over 1000 smiles to people.

Below is what is done in the 2 impressive communities of Murchison Falls park;

Boomu Women’s Group In Murchison Falls National Park

Boomu Women’s Group is situated a few yards ahead of Kichumbanyobo gate the southern entrance of Murchison park.

It is just 8 km from the Kaniyo Pabidi eco-tourism site in Budongo Forest where Chimpanzee trekking in Murchison Falls National Park is experienced.

First, “Boomu” means togetherness, and women combined to form this group in 1999 in Kihaguzi Village.

And, their main reason for forming this women’s group was to;

Fight poverty among the women
Improve their social development
Fight malnutrition
Enable the women’s children to go to school for better education

These amazing women first bought land in Kigaragara village for farming which is now 3 miles away from their current location. They are farmers and mostly do subsistence farming growing food for home consumption.

However, these women get challenges of hunger when they sell most of the food in markets as they are trying to raise income.

To improve their income status, these women have found various ways of making more income through;

Making crafts for sale like woven mats, baskets, hats, shoes, etc.
Developing community tourism
Constructing accommodation as they now have traditional bandas and a restaurant.

Boomu Women’s Group is a truly inspiring community that needs more support to empower more women.

What To Do At Boomu Women’s Group During Your Community/Cultural Tours In Murchison Falls National Park

Boomu Women’s Group in Murchison Falls National Park gives you insight into how rural people in Uganda live. And, with more real African touch of a true African culture safari.

First, it offers a unique cultural experience during cultural encounters in Murchison park. This is through dance and drama and you can participate.
Enjoy village walks and see the various activities Women in this group do.
Participate in basket weaving as you receive guidance from these Women.
You can as well participate in the cultivation and making of local herbs for medicine.
Enjoy the fascinating cooking tour as you traditionally cook food.
Learn how to make dyes from plants and flowers.
Also, visit the village chairperson who will be delighted to give you full information about the women’s group.

For you to enjoy all of the above experiences in Boomu Women’s Group, you need to at least spend 2 nights at the women’s traditional bandas.

Mubako Community At Murchison Falls National Park

Mubako Community (Village) is located in the North West outside Murchison Falls National Park and it is made of mud and grass thatched huts.

This remote community depends on tourism as people here perform cultural dances to tourists in the park.

At dusk, this community performs vibrant songs and dances around campfires of local lodges accompanied by the beautiful sound of the “Adungu”. This Adungu originates from this region and it is made of cowhides and twine.

Also, people in the Mubako community are farmers and grow cassava for food. However, their land is not productive and cassava is dried and pounded to form flour used for baking bread.

The excess flour is fermented to make local gins (Waragi) which are served to locals in bars and during communal meetings.

This community survives on tourism and it gives superb cultural performances for visitors on Uganda cultural tours.

How To Support Local Communities In Murchison Falls National Park?

There are various ways of supporting local communities in Murchison Falls National Park. This support given to communities enriches people’s lives and connects with people and hence building lasting relationships.

Some of the ways to support local communities in Murchison Falls National Park include;

Purchasing local items from Community shops
Volunteering
Donations
Participating in community tourism

1. Purchasing Local Items From Community Shops

Purchasing local items from community shops is a brilliant way of supporting the local communities in Murchison Falls National Park. This provides more jobs to the local people and the money got from selling the items is used for social development.

It also leads to the growth of local businesses especially craft making since there is a market for the products that are being made. You don’t need to buy all items from the shop, a little you buy makes a big difference.

Some of the local items you can buy from the local communities are mostly art and craft materials and include;

Woven baskets
Weaven mats
Hats
Bungles
Necklaces
And, also sculptures

Visitors can also buy African fabric wear from the community shops.

2. Volunteering

You can always spare a few weeks and volunteer in these communities as volunteering rewards and makes a positive difference to the community.

Remember that volunteering is non-profit and these communities can rely on your to support their vital work.

Volunteering also offers many benefits for social development as you also learn new skills. You can find a way you can volunteer and which sector you are best in to help.

However, before you volunteer, you need to think about these things below;

Identify the skills you can always offer
Decide on the cases you care about the most
Also, determine how often you can volunteer

3. Donations

Giving donations is also another way to support local communities in Murchison Falls National Park. Donating what you can to lesser known can make a huge difference, especially in helping improve the lives of people in the communities.

You can donate items and money. Some of the items you can donate are clothes since most of these people find it expensive to buy new clothes from markets.

Other items include sewing machines and scholastic materials for children.

The money donated is used for building schools, hospitals, and water sources for clean water. It also provides financial empowerment and gives people the tools to become more financially stable and independent.

Donations can also help the local communities in Murchison Falls National Park to prepare and protect themselves against the impacts of climate.

4. Participating In Community Tourism

Visitors can support local communities in Murchison Falls National Park by participating in community tourism. Through this, visitors pay for the activities in the community and that money is used in community development projects.

Some of the activities you can do during community tourism include the cooking tour, cultivation, making crafts, and participating in cultural performances.

When you go for community tourism, you have made a big impact on the local communities positively.

Another way you can support local communities in Murchison Falls National Park is by spreading the love on social media. Sharing on social media platforms expands the local communities reach as other people get to know them and can support them accordingly.

Why Support Local Communities In Murchison Falls National Park?

Supporting the local communities in Murchison Falls National Park there are various benefits. Some of the reasons for supporting these local communities include;

Supporting these local communities help you to be part of something great as it you get joy in helping others which is worth it.
The local Communities in Murchison Falls National Park depend on tourism through the visitors who visit them. This is the only way they get money for social development.

So if you support them, they build schools, and hospitals and buy food to fight malnutrition since their land is not productive.

When you support these local communities buy crafts, you are making more jobs for the community. This prevents poaching and killing of animals inside the park for profit and consumption.
From the support you give to the local communities in Murchison Falls National Park, the young children are inspired to become productive people in their communities.
Also through helping the local communities you get to meet new people and hence improve your social skills.

When To Visit Local Communities In Murchison Falls National Park –H2

Visitors on a Murchison Falls safari can visit the local communities in the park usually in the morning or in the afternoon. However, lodges hire Mubako community cultural performers to entertain tourists at dusk around campfires.

To enjoy the full cultural experience and community tour, you need to spend over 2 nights in these communities. This is when you are especially visiting Boomu Women’s group which has comfortable traditional bandas.

What Is The Best Time Of The Year To Visit Local Communities In Murchison Falls National Park?

Tourists can visit local communities in Murchison Falls National Park at any time of the year. However, the best experience is in the dry months of the year and which are from December to February and June to August.

During this time, the roads leading to these communities are dry and easy to access leading to successful activities.

Also, cultural performances are at their peak since there is no rain to interrupt them when outside around the campfires.

Eventually, in the wet months, there are heavy rains that make the tracks flood and slippery which delays and limit your time for cultural experiences. The wet months are from March to May and from September to November.

Also, visitors should know that Murchison Falls weather is unpredictable as it can change at any time of the day.

What To Wear When Visiting The Local Communities In Murchison Falls National Park?

Visitors going on community tours in Murchison Falls National Park should mind their dress code as they should wear decently.

The people of Uganda respect culture and norms and that’s why you need to always mind the dress code.

Women should avoid putting on short skirts and shorts as it calls for much attention. African culture prohibits and it is immoral to move in public with uncovered body parts.

Always wear long-sleeved clothes to avoid any implications and disrespect of culture. Basically, women are advised to put on over-knee clothes.

Precautions To Know When Visiting The Local Communities In Murchison Falls National Park

There are a few precautions you need to know when visiting local communities in Murchison Falls National Park and these include;

When visiting these local communities, always respect the customs, beliefs, and values with the practices of its people.
You should always wear decently and put on appropriate wear which covers all your body at least over the knees for women.
Visitors should always keep time so that they do the activities on time.
Always respect the people you find in the local communities and appreciate what they are doing.

Other Safari Activities In Murchison Falls National Park

Murchison Falls National Park has more safari activities one on a Uganda safari can enjoy and these include;

Safari game drives

Boat cruises
Chimpanzee trekking
Bird watching
Nature walks
Murchison Falls hike
Sport fishing

Conclusively, supporting the local communities in Murchison Falls National Park is giving back and it helps the people in communities to develop socially.

It is a way of giving back and you can support them by buying items from their shops, participating in communal tourism, volunteering, and through donating.

The little support you give changes people’s lives as they build schools, and hospitals, buy food, and learn life development skills.

Always give back to the local communities to enrich lives.

Please inquire