Stewards of the Lake is a community-led initiative at Bugondo Landing Site, Serere District, coordinated by Ateker Museum. Running from July 2026 – March 2028, the project empowers fishing communities to protect Lake Kyoga’s environment, preserve cultural heritage, and develop sustainable eco-tourism opportunities.

Funded by the International Congress of Maritime Museums and the Loyd’s Registry Foundation.

Why This Project?

Lake Kyoga faces challenges such as:

• Declining fish stocks
• Pollution and shoreline degradation
• Overfishing and weak fishing-group structures
• Economic vulnerability
• Loss of cultural traditions
• Strained relationships between communities and fisheries authorities

Bugondo’s rich maritime heritage and fishing traditions present an opportunity to transform these challenges into sustainable eco-tourism and stewardship.

Objectives

The project has four interconnected goals:

1. Build community skills – Train 70 members (≥40% women) in eco-tourism guiding, cultural interpretation, and environmental stewardship.
2. Strengthen fishing groups – Formalize 6 associations with governance, leadership, and accountability systems.
3. Preserve and promote heritage – Storytelling, traditional dances, fishing demonstrations, and intergenerational knowledge transfer.
4. Establish an eco-tourism product – Develop guided tours, cultural performances, and environmental education at Bugondo.

Who Benefits?

• Fishing communities – 70 direct participants, plus elders as custodians of heritage.
• Wider community – Increased tourism income, stronger cultural pride, improved environmental stewardship.
• Schools – Heritage visits, environmental education, intergenerational learning.
• Other stakeholders – Tourists, cultural institutions, tour operators, policymakers, and fisheries authorities.

Activities

The project will deliver six major areas of work:

1. Community mobilization & group formalization
2. Baseline survey for impact measurement
3. Capacity building & training
4. Cultural programming (storytelling, dances, fishing demonstrations)
5. Development of a community-led eco-tourism product
6. Monitoring, evaluation & policy engagement

Partners

• Ateker Museum – Project coordinator and implementer
• Serere District Local Government – Technical guidance, coordination, and institutional support
• Fishing communities – Central actors in planning, training, and hosting visitors
• Technical & cultural partners – ICOM Uganda, UCOMA, UMMA, elders, and tourism stakeholders

Timeline & Milestones

• August 2026 – Project launch, community mobilization, baseline survey
• October 2026 – March 2027 – Capacity building and training
• April – July 2027 – Cultural programming development
• July – September 2027 – Eco-tourism product launch
• October 2027 – Evaluation and dissemination

Expected Results by March 2028

• 6 fishing groups formally registered
• 70 trained community members (≥40% women)