Janet in campaign to fight climate change

The Minister of Education, also First Lady Janet Museveni, has launched a countrywide campaign to fight climate change and stop grabbing of school land.

The campaign, an initiative of the government being implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was launched at Teryet High Altitude Centre in Teryet cell, Kwoti ward, Kapchorwa Municipality, on Tuesday.

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The initiative, among other things, aims at conserving the environment, improving energy efficiency in cooking, lighting, and water harvesting in schools.

During the launch, Ms Museveni said the project will change the face of schools and institutions in the country.

“Many of our schools have no fences, animals are running across the compounds, destroying our school structures but instead of looking for fences, which do nothing to protect the environment, why not use natural green. This is the opportunity God is giving us,” she said.

Ms Museveni said environment clubs will be formed in schools to instill in children the culture of conserving the environment.

The UNDP resident representative, Ms Elsie Attafuah, said the project will promote reafforestation, energy conservation and also reduce greenhouse gas emission.

“We hope to play a critical role in climate change through influencing behaviour change among the young people,” she said.

Ms Attafuah said the project will support the greening of bare school land in 381 seed secondary schools across the country, with the aim to restore Uganda’s forest and green cover by planting 20 million trees by 2026.

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She explained that 96 percent of schools in the country use wood fuel for cooking, followed by charcoal, something she said is putting immense pressure on the forests, especially around the cities and towns.

“This rate at which biomass is being used in institutions is not sustainable, so we have rolled out smart energy cooking solutions to promote energy conversation and reduce the use of charcoal,” she said.

She added that UNDP is also partnering with the electricity regulatory authority to design appropriate electricity tariffs to promote use of electricity for cooking in hospitals, schools, prisons and urban households.

“UNDP is also committed to strengthening sustainable land management and restoration of degraded forest and wetland ecosystems,” she said.

Mr Paul Mutai, the Kwoti Village chairperson, said the initiative will protect the school land which has been under threat from land grabbers.

“We welcome this project because it will also promote environment conservation and mitigate the effects of climate change,” he said.

Mr Sam Kuloba, the commissioner for secondary schools in the Education ministry, urged local government leaders to support the project.

“The leaders and school administrators should ensure the trees are planted and protected for the good of the environment,” he said, adding that support from leaders at all levels will empower schools to restore and maintain clean environment.

The Kapchorwa District chairperson, Ms Evelyn Chebet, said the project is timely given the climate change challenges and rampant encroachment on school land in the region.

“This will go a long way in improving the school environment and security,” she said.

Background...Deforestation
Currently, national deforestation rate stands at two percent annually, with an average of 122,000 hectares lost every year, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).