MARIA BARYAMUJURA's Profile

About MARIA BARYAMUJURA

This is how MARIA is a Changemaker:
By promoting sustainable tourism to eliminate poverty through supporting rural communities in identifying and capatalizing upon their own potential.

The place for which MARIA feels a fondness or connection:
A typical rural african homestead in Wabikokoma village, Luwero District in UGANDA where a Nubian community is successfully using their culture to generate extra income by welcoming, hosting and entertaining travellers who pass the village on their way to national parks. Women in their colurful attire sit under a shade tree in the compound making traditional baskets, mats and jewellery . My local NGO working on community based tourism initiatives in Uganda, supports the project.

The change MARIA passionately wants to happen:
Rural communities in Uganda empowered through community tourism participation and development where wealth, resources and benefits from tourism are equitably distributed between tourism operators and host communities.

Entries

Empowering communities, creating opportunities, changing visitor attitudes
From The Geotourism Challenge: Celebrating Places - Changing Lives
Saved April 21, 2008 - 09:06 AM EST

Bio

Through COBATI, a local NGO I founded in 1998, we are empowering communites to develop community based tourism initiatives in the framework of clusters of activities and attractions that respond to opportunities and livelihood needs in communites bordering conservation areas and unique cultural sites in Uganda. I have diverse experience in tourism spanning over 25 years, hold prominent responsibilities including Awards, Board membership of various public sector tourism institutions in Uganda. I am engaged in mentoring youth and women in community tourism development through consultancy and advocacy on the rights of rural people, to benefit from their natural and cultural resources and skills.