About the project
The Schools’ Initiative to conserve Mountain Elgon Ecosystem was funded by the United States Department of State (USDoS). The fund was an Alumni Engagement Impact Award (AEIF) which was advanced to returning Ugandan – US Alumni team to help a community in need. The project is working with environment clubs in ten schools in Mount Elgon area and communities to promote agro-forestry and soil conservation approaches.
Over view
- 30,000 trees planted along river catchments in farmer gardens and schools,
- Awareness about Climate Change and resilience to build at community level through school debates and engagements between school children and community members,
- Production and dissemination of posters as teaching aids on climate change and conservation,
- Trainings on tree seed collection and nursery maintenance, and construction of soil and water conservation structures.
Lessons learnt
- The local people actually understand the different concepts of climate change, though they cannot express their thoughts technically,
- The communities are always willing to undertake the mitigation and adaptation strategies but are limited by both the financial and technical capacity. However, at individual level some people try plant and grow trees as well as sensitize other masses.
Our thoughts for the future
- We need to continue engaging the youth and young children in environmental conservation activities if we are to guarantee sustainability for the future generations,
- Besides protecting the environment through tree planting initiatives, the communities need to also learn how to make a living from the activities they take part in,
- Imparting knowledge and skills should be a continuous process throughout since approaches keep changing,