Magamba Eco-Cultural Tourism is a youth led community based and sustainable tourism Initiative, which was established in 2017 following the guidelines for Cultural Tourism Programmes of Tanzania (CTPT). The CTPT is under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism supervised by Tanzania Tourist Board section of Cultural Tourism Programme and was officially registered in 2014 with registrationNo. CTP/REG.069.
Our Story
As a youth led Community Based Initiative in the Country side Magamba Eco Cultural tourism is working to support Community living in the rural village just adjacent magamba Nature Forest Reserve in Magamba Village, Lushoto Tanga Tanzania.
For many years Most families living in Magamba Village have been depending on the Forest resources including herding their cattle to graze in the forest and doing some other human activities in the forest, such us small farms near the forest collections of the firewood, in 2000s, The government decided to upgrade the forest for more improved conservations status of the Natural Biodiversity.
Therefore due to this the local people were strictly prohibited to graze their cattle in the forest and other human activities as well in the forest were restricted, and so this situation have forced the local people reduce and others to stop keeping the cattle which was their source of income and thing that helped them to afford their day to day lives, hence the increase of the deep poverty in the community living near the forest. To the moment some families can not afford to send their kids to the schools and they need more support so that they have something to earn something as an income.
So as a young among the youth in the village who was born and raised in the village and one among the youth from these poor families who have experienced this hard time in the village, I have been struggling and thinking on how I can support my community. On the way when I was in school I tried to figure out what can I do to change the life of my family and and the entire people in my village, So when I was in High School at Lyamungo Boys is where my dream started with the intention of starting a community based Initiative which will take the chance of using our forest sustainably, which means use the forest in the way that we do not ham the nature. and then my dream started to come true during the time when I was in the College, is where I started to make the follow up of my dream
I joined the National College of tourism(NCT) taking my diploma in Travel & Tourism, then joined the safari Company in Arusha for few years while following all the process of registering my Cultural tourism program, Thanks to Tanzania Tourists Board for a great support I had from them. To the moment our program is certified and hosting few visitors and it has created more opportunities to the community in and out of our village.
I am very sure that the community in Magamba are now directly benefiting through this situation project as local tour guides, cooks, selling of the arts and food ingredients. and we hope this will create more opportunities to the community in Magamba Village.
By Alfonce Shelukindo
Founder and Coordinator
Cultural Tourism A tool for Poverty Eradication 