Bwindi Region and Issues
| Uganda | UK | |
| Life Expectancy | 52 | 78 |
| HIV prevalence | 6.4% | 0.2% |
| Children dying before age 5 | 137 per 100,000 | 13 per 100,000 |
Uganda lies in sub-saharan East Africa and is land-locked. It contains great biodiversity, and was famously described by Winston Churchill as the 'Pearl of Africa'.
Uganda is bordered by Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest is a National Park in the Kanungu district of south western Uganda, around 600km from the capital, Kampala. The region around Bwindi is a rural area, and before the rainforest was designated a National Park it was an important source of food, fuel and other essentials for local people.
The Costs of Conservation
The need for conservation of the rainforests comes about largely due to the actions of wealthy nations.
The costs of conservation are paid by some of the poorest people in the world.
HIV/AIDs and the Orphan Crisis
"The proliferation of orphans has become a deluge ... Extended families and communities struggle to absorb them; grandmothers bury their own children and then try somehow to cope with hordes of grandchildren; child-headed households are an ever-growing phenomenon .. it is a nightmare"
-- Stephen Lewis, Special Envoy for HIV/AIDs in Africa, July 24 2005
Education in Uganda
Many of us took our education for granted but students in Uganda do not.
Uganda has made considerable progress in improving access to education in recent years, but for many young people it is still out of reach. More about education in Uganda.
Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest
The Bwindi region is a 'biodiversity hotspot' with one of the richest ecosystems in Africa, including rare mountain gorillas. Find out more about Bwindi Impenetrable Rainforest
Bwindi communities
Uganda is ethnically diverse, with many ethnic groups and languages. Although there are a large number of languages spoken in Uganda many people in Uganda use English as a common language, and English is used in newspapers and other media.
The majority of the people of the area around Bwindi are from the Bakiga, Bafumbira or Batwa cultures. Some residents originate from bordering Rwanda or DRC Congo, and there are currently many Congolese refugees living in the area.
The Batwa people lived a hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the forest until evicted in the name of conservation. Find out more
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