The first project of the Emberiza Fund is designed to help aspiring Birdwatching
and Wildlife guides who have successfully finished the Uganda Birdguides Club (UBGC) training program.

Ecotourism is Uganda's second-largest foreign exchange earner, and an increasingly growing industry. Despite its relatively modest size (roughly that of Great Britain), the country has a great variety of habitats, with more than a thousand bird species recorded. Ongoing political stability and good infrastructure and tourist services make the country one of the best destinations in Africa.

Birdwatching is an increasingly popular activity with tourists visiting Uganda, to the point that even non-specialized tour agencies are starting to employ at least one birding guide on their staff. Birdwatchers from all over the world travel every year to Uganda in search of some of the most coveted birds in Africa, like the iconic Shoebill or the elusive Green-breasted Pitta. Birdwatching and wildlife safari guiding and tour leading is an excellent chance for local young people to develop a career. Together with many community-based tourist facilities throughout the country, their jobs are important for the long-term sustainability of many reserves andprotected areas.

The extraordinary variety of its birdlife is not Uganda's only attraction for ecotourists. Uganda is unique in offering the chance to see some of the last Mountain Gorillas in the world, as well as wild Chimpanzees and up to 15 species of primates. Big game is also abundant, with Lion, Leopard, Buffalo and Elephant regularly sighted at popular game reserves like Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls, among some of the most dramatic landscapes in Eastern Africa.

The UBGC trains birders from all over Uganda, and tries to provide them with knowledge and tools that will enable them to work as guides, either at Government-operated reserves and parks or with private tour companies. Also, the Club provides guides with an official title backed by USAGA (Uganda Safari Guides Association), which will identify them as approved guides.