Social & Economic Integration of Urban Batwa
SELAVIP financed foundations, walls, roofing, windows and doors of 12 houses in Buterere camp for urban batwa families and returnees. These units had one bedroom and one sitting room. Another 9 houses were rehabilitated for poor families living in huts in Buterere. Finally, 4 very large families received bigger houses, with two bedrooms and one sitting room. This makes a total of 25 very vulnerable families among the 897 living in Buterere who now live in decent homes. They were carefully selected by JRS together with the local administration and community representatives. In their new homes, families already are growing vegetables, and JRS is trying to obtain more land from the government for agriculture, in order to secure food for the poor of Buterere. Those who got the bigger houses are starting to perform other economic activities to increase their income at home. The community is growing vegetables and small trees for sale, and started to build a rain water drainage with the local government to prevent disasters during the rainy season. JRS will assist them to negotiate clean water for the settlement, and the project will be presented to national government as an example of a people-driven strategy that really helps the poorest of poor. Contact: FR PASCAL NIYONKURU sj nipasy@yahoo.com
