Once a conflict zone, Uganda’s Karamoja region is now on the global map, regaining its image of a resourceful place in Uganda, and the African continent, thanks to the use of natural and cultural resources to drive social enterprise development. Karamoja Arts & Tours is improving community livelihoods, protecting nature, and preserving cultural heritage. At the core of their vision is the provision of direct employment at its accommodation facilities, developing tourism products, regional tourism marketing, and offering skilling opportunities through regional tourism and hospitality training. Formation: The enterprise is the creation of Theo Vos, a local involved in the Uganda tourism sector. He is the son of a Dutch father and Ugandan mother, born and raised in the northeastern Karamoja sub-region. This region, he says, has suffered from decades of civil unrest, the reason his parents decided to move to the Netherlands to raise their children. “When the Ugandan government disarmed our people, my mother moved back to Uganda to work for the government and rebuild her region”, Vos explains. About six years ago, Vos followed her, however, he was disappointed and touched to witness what he said was the negative stigma on his people, to see the unemployment and environmental destruction on one hand and the beauty of the region and living indigenous cultures on one hand. Himself and his mother decided to start Kara-Tunga as a social enterprise to use tourism as a tool to positively impact the image of the region, create jobs, and educate and incentivize…
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