Kisoro Batwa Run Targets Shs200m for Vocational School

What the report says

Hope for Us-Uganda plans to stage the Batwa Run on November 29 in Kisoro Municipality to raise more than Shs 200 million for a vocational school project in Kisoro District. According to the Nile Post report, the event will begin at Mayor’s Gardens and is intended to support construction of an institute in Busaro Village, Chahi Sub-county.

The proposed school is designed to give Batwa community members and people from nearby areas practical training that could improve livelihoods and support self-reliance. Organisers said the institution is expected to teach courses such as computer skills, driving, tailoring, carpentry and joinery, and construction. The run is being held under the theme “Run for Conservation, Inclusion and for Life.”

The report says corporate participants will pay Shs 80,000 for running kits, while other runners will pay Shs 20,000, with proceeds going toward the project. Javilla Nchunguyinka, director of Hope for Us-Uganda, said the organisation has shifted from welfare support to skills development because practical training may help the Batwa become more economically independent.

The Batwa are among Uganda’s historically marginalised communities and continue to face barriers to education and income opportunities. In that context, the fundraiser is being framed not only as a way to finance the school, but also as a community event meant to promote conservation, inclusion and wider support from businesses and development partners.