Protecting our environment through friendly practices

A study conducted by Makerere University’s Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC) indicates Uganda is one of the countries in the world with least developed access to modern energy services. More than 93% of its primary energy needs are covered by biomass (firewood and charcoal) whereas 6% are produced through the combustion of fossil fuels (transport and industry) and only 1% consists of electricity out of hydro-power and thermal power plants (instead burning oil and diesel)

South Western part of Uganda which at one time was called the Switzerland of Africa due to its cool weather and forest cover has of recent lost that description due to uncontrolled tree cutting. one of the reasons for this tree cutting is search for firewood which of recent has become too scarce causing conflicts amongst community members with women and children as the key victims since they are the primary firewood collectors in this part of the world. Children and women spent long hours searching for firewood in long distance hence affecting their productivity at school ( Children) and engaging in economic ventures (women).

The objective of this solution is to kick-start a two-fold approach: 1) Reduce environmental degradation by promoting Ecosystem-based Adaptation and restoration interventions within the community and 2) Create broader impact  promoting climate change mitigation through promoting clean cooking practices and addressing the entire value chain including creating viable business models. The proposed project will address the bottlenecks and tackle the barriers of improved energy saving cook stove use, knowledge on the ground and creating awareness on environmental conservation Ecosystem-based adaptation and restoration interventions will be promoted through Eco-village models/ Model households to promote uptake of bankable nature solutions and climate-smart technologies with local communities to improve climate resilience, promote the best environmental conservation practices such as tree planting.

The solution is targeting rural community groups in Kanungu District, South western Uganda with focus om women and youth. There exists a number of community based groups composed of mainly women and youth whose current focus is savings and loans related activities. Due to continued scarce of firewood as a result of cutting of most of the natural forests in the region, women and children now spend most of time looking for firewood some spending more than 6 hours a day in search of firewood some experiencing sexual abuse while in the bush. It is now unacceptable practice to look for firewood in some other persons’ piece of land which used no to happen. As a result, scarcity of firewood has become a serious problem and a cause of conflict among community members. Amidst this firewood scarcity, use of energy saving cook stoves while promoted in some parts of the Country, it has not been in the South Western region. in my work with Ministry of Water and Environment we piloted a project in one of the Districts in south western Uganda and all categories of the community members appreciated the use of Rocket Lorena and the Shielded cook stoves due may reasons; less firewood used, controlled smoke, reduced time spent while cooking, clean environment in the kitchen among others. It is the same technology combined with tree growing this initiative wants to promote in Kanungu District, Rugyeyo sub county targeting 5 women groups, 5 youth groups and 5000 households.

The initiative will free women and children of their time to engage in more productive activities instead spending half of the day searching for firewood. Children will be able to concentrate on their education, women will have time to engage in more income generating activities and taking care of their children, it will reduce on diseases related to smoke and will reduce on the increasing conflicts amongst families caused by firewood scarcity.

Two of the group members are ToTs  in improved energy saving cook stoves and tree Nursery bed establishment trained by Global Partners East Africa. I have also trained my group on how to construct Rocket Lorena and the Shielded using local available materials.

We will therefore conduct sensitization meetings with citizens to raise their awareness ongoing environmental degradation and its impact on communities. we will also sensitize them on some of the technologies that can be used to address/reduce the current problems.

After the community sensitizations, we will identify 5 women groups to participate in trainings on how to construct energy saving cook stoves. the selected groups will be trained on the technology and we will ask them to consider it as an income generating activity. after the trainings, we will ask each of the trained members to ensure they construct the energy saving cook stoves as models of the technology. we will in the meantime use different forums to promote the technology and the trained groups to the general population in the district using radio, schools, religious institutions among others.

once other community members start to realize the benefits of the technology and seeing them in some of the homes of the trained members, they will also demand for it. At this point, we shall ask the trained women groups to charge a small fee to construct the energy saving cook stoves to non members. The money generated from the construction of the cook stoves shall be put into the women group collection as a source of income.

Meanwhile, we shall also identify 5 youth groups and train them on tree Nursery bed establishment. After the trainings, we shall support them with start up kits in terms of environmental friendly seeds, bed nets to enable them establish the nursery beds. They will them avail tree seedling at a subsidized cost to community members including institutions such as schools, health facilities, religious institutions. members of the women groups will be asked to establish some woodlots as a source of firewood since the energy saving stoves will also need some firewood.

Environmental degradation has become a serious problem in South western Uganda with far reaching consequences yet community members have remained active members in degradation but passive participants in protection and restoration. If this is not reversed, the impacts will be far reaching. Therefore our target is to empower communities to become active participants in environmental protection by championing environmental friendly practices that are less costly and sustainable. 

Empowering women and young people as change agents will have lasting and sustained results. The proposed solution will support the targeted participants to engage in income generation through the project but also produce social and health benefits including reducing community conflicts, illnesses related to smoke and allow children time to attend school, improved school performance and reduce school drop outs.

The solution requires financial support to mobilize communities and train the 5 women group and 5 youth groups and facilitate them with start up kits. once the village models are established, we shall engage government to learn from our experience and replicate it in other districts. we shall actively involve the local Government line departments to ensure they appreciate the initiative and popularize it within Government.

Putting community members at the Centre stage of environmental protection and restoration especially women and youth as active participants and looking at the proposed solution as a business.

I want to see women and children engaging in more productive work including livelihoods and education instead of spending significant amount of their time searching for firewood.

I want to see communities where its members live in harmony and less of conflict related to struggle for firewood and related resources. 

1. by recruiting many members into the programme especially women and youth

2. Women and youth engaging in more productive activities- income generation

3. Reduced school drop outs

4. Reduced community conflicts related to use of environmental related resources

5. Increased support from Government to community groups engaged in environmental protection and restoration

If citizens are aware of the impact of environmental degradation on their lives, families, communities and the economy and if they are empowered with the right skills that support environmental protection; then they will become active participants of engaging in practices and activities that protect the environment and hence reduced further degradation.

Improved energy saving cook stoves supported by wood lot establishment at household and institutional level.

Mukugwe tree planting group is an all inclusive group that appreciates the fact that the most vulnerable members of the community including people with disability, women and young people have their voices hard and appreciated. currently 80% of the members are women.

We promote protection Gender and inclusion during planning and implementation of activities.

Step1: Create mass awareness on the ongoing environmental degradation and its impact on individuals, households, communities and the economy to ensure people appreciate the issues we shall be trying to address. Building collective consciousness on the issue at hands that we want to address.

Step 2: select and train women groups who will be involved in construction and marketing of improved energy saving cook stoves as well as youth groups who will involved in the establishment of environmental friendly nursery beds and promoting tree planting. 

Step 3: Supporting the trained groups with start up inputs to ensure they start to construct energy saving cook stoves and establishing tree nursery beds as a business and marketing.

Step 4: Continuous monitoring and technical supervision with involvement district technical officers and exchange learning visits amongst the groups. 

The proposed innovations ( Improved energy saving cook stoves and Trees Nursery beds) shall be managed as business by the trained and supported groups. The trained 5 women groups will continue to construct cook stoves to households at a subsidized cost and the 5 youth groups will continue to sell the tree seedlings. These groups will be supported in terms of technical expertise and start up kits after the trainings. They will continue to ran their activities as a business and money generated shall be for the group. They will be linked to other available opportunities in their communities such as microfinance institutions, Government opportunities such a funds through the Parish Development model among others.

Currently, Mukugwe tree planting group gets financial support form Tist Uganda to support tree planting. On a quarterly basis, we receive between UGX 800,000 to 1,600,000. We also receive funds UGX 14,000,000 in appreciation of the contribution our trees make towards controlling heat in the atmosphere.