Girls For the Planet

With the climate crisis in rural Kasese district in Uganda, girls are hit the hardest usually due to a lack of access to resources, services and information. Older girls bear the heavy burden of domestic work, unpaid care, and discriminatory traditional social norms (Kakuru, 2008). Most obstacles that girls face have roots in household processes and practices. Kakuru's study shows that women and girls undertake most of the daily tasks in the home, including taking care of patients and miss school to supplement their mothers’ or grandparents’ labor.  Girls who also live with relatives after the death of parents may be discriminated against as they were always the first to be asked to step in to supplement adults’ labor. Girls are also more likely to be late for school and because they are late, they may be asked to do more tasks at school during recess or lunch break. Due to household restrictions on ‘acceptable’ means of earning income, some girls resort to unsafe means of earning income. In a patriarchal society, Girls lives continue to be tied to duties and responsibilities in the home and village. Kasese district is an area sorrounded by the Rwenzori Mountains National park, a World Heritage Site.This area has been devasted by floods displacing thousands of people in their homes, washing away local hospitals and homes, and farms. Landslides and overflowing rivers have left many people dead and others vulnerable and homeless, especially women and children. Peoples lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the effects of climate change.

A 2020 vegetation survey report in our area of interest titled, "Diversity, Distribution and Abundance of Target Plant Species in A World Heritage Site Rwenzori Mountains National Park" talks about the devastation that has led to the climate change crisis. Endowed with a fragile ecosystem that is ecologically, economically and culturally viable, it is therefore an important source of resources for local communities and the globe at largebecause of the national parks surrounding the area making it a tourist destination. Communities live on the slopes of the Mountain "derive their livelihood from the park resources through, tourism activities, use of medicinal plants, mushrooms, water, firewood, honey, fibers, dry bamboo stems and bamboo sheath." 

The vegetation survey report further points out that the high population growth in the western Uganda region and climate change has a direct impact on the flora and fauna in the areas ecosystem due to the demand for park resources. Species such as Prunus Africana whose bark harvested for medicine and bamboo that is harvested for commercial (and subsistence) purposes is on the rise, and is thus leading to the depletion of target species in the park and surrounding areas.

Girls for the Planet will work with girls in Kasese region through partnerships with Forest Creators, and local botanists in the region to educate girls in tree restoration using the Miyawaki forest method. While forests take 40 years or more to grow, the Miyawaki forest is a forest method that grows 5-6 ft within two years, and is dense, and utilises only indigenous trees to the area it is being planted. The Miyawaki forest is a relatively new method that was started in 1980 by Miyawaki in Japan. 

Forest Creators is an Indian based company that is helping people globally to plant Miyawaki forests that will allow  the reproduction of the indigenous species currently being lost to climate change and used as resources in the communities. Girls for the Planet will work with girls in Kasese to plant a  forest model and create an eco-learning hub that teaches girls how to restore the biodiversity of their communities and save their communities from floods and other devastating effects of climate change. It will involve girls in mapping technologies like Technologies such as automized mapping, big data analytics and detection of land-use changes so as to reduce costs and enable real-time management of resources, soil technologies, and sustainable eco-friendly conservation methods so that the girls learn skills that will enable them to better their communities and livelihoods.

Most obstacles that girls face have roots in household processes and practices. Kakuru's study shows that women and girls undertake most of the daily tasks in the home, including taking care of patients and miss school to supplement their mothers’ or grandparents’ labor.  Girls who also live with relatives after the death of parents may be discriminated against as they were always the first to be asked to step in to supplement adults’ labor. Girls are also more likely to be late for school and because they are late, they may be asked to do more tasks at school during recess or lunch break. Due to household restrictions on ‘acceptable’ means of earning income, some girls resort to unsafe means of earning income. In a patriarchal society, Girls lives continue to be tied to duties and responsibilities in the home and village.Kasese district is an area sorrounded by the Rwenzori Mountains National park, a World Heritage Site.This area has been devasted by floods displacing thousands of people in their homes, washing away local hospitals and homes, and farms. Landslides and overflowing rivers have left many people dead and others vulnerable and homeless, especially women and children. Peoples lives and livelihoods have been devastated by the effects of climate change.

Girls for the Planet will work with girls in Kasese to plant a  forest model and create an eco-learning hub that teaches girls how to restore the biodiversity of their communities and save their communities from floods and other devastating effects of climate change. It will involve girls in mapping technologies like Technologies such as automized mapping, big data analytics and detection of land-use changes so as to reduce costs and enable real-time management of resources, soil technologies, and sustainable eco-friendly conservation methods so that the girls learn skills that will enable them to better their communities and livelihoods.

Black Girl's Magazine has been at the forefront of fighting climate change effects. The co-founder, Mbabazi, 19 year old, has been involved in climate change activism since high school. She was part of her eco-club in high school and has led climate change rallies in the city where she lives, Toronto, Canada. She is is the editor of Black Girl's Magazines, written by kids 8-12, Teens 13-17, and college age students 18-22. Black Girls Magazine is a youth-led initiative that encourages Black girls to advocate for themselves through the power of writing, currently in over 300 libraries in N. America. Mbabazi is also half Ugandan as her mother comes from the Kasese area district. Girls for the Planet Forest Model and Eco-learning hub will take place on the family land where the educational activities and model forest will happen, and be used as a place to empower girls in the rural community. The project will partner with local botanists who will lead the initiative in finding seedlings of indigenous forest species. It will also partner with Forest Creators whose expertise in the Miyawaki forest planting.

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We would like for Solve to help us engage girls in the Kasese rural community with the technological know-how that will provide the skills in biodiversity conservation and knowledge to protect their communities, learn about conservation and environmental sustainability. Most importantly, support us in the mapping and soil technologies that Girls for the Planet will utilise in planting the Miyawaki forest in vulnerable topographies.