By Moses Sentamu
In a bold stride toward environmental stewardship, Uganda’s Go Green Campaign has ignited a nationwide movement to combat deforestation and revive the nation’s lush landscapes. The initiative, which focuses on planting and restoring forest cover, has now extended its roots into the hearts and minds of the country’s youngest guardians of the earth through the innovative Go Green Schools Campaign.
By engaging school-going learners in hands-on restoration efforts, the program is not just sowing seeds—it’s cultivating a generation committed to healing Mother Nature. At the heart of this ambitious drive is a staggering goal: to plant 20 million trees alongside 20 million Ugandan youth.
Speaking to journalists, Edwin Muhumuza, the campaign’s coordinator, painted a vivid picture of transformation. “We envision every young Ugandan rolling up their sleeves to give back to the land that sustains us,” Muhumuza declared. “This isn’t merely about numbers; it’s about instilling a lifelong bond with our environment, ensuring that our forests thrive for generations to come.”
The campaign’s momentum gained fresh energy last week as 16 pioneering schools across Uganda threw their support behind the effort. These institutions, ranging from bustling urban primaries to rural community hubs, mobilised students, teachers, and families for tree-planting drives, educational workshops, and awareness rallies.
In recognition of their dedication, each school was presented with certificates of participation—gleaming symbols of their role in a greener tomorrow. Scenes of jubilant children wielding shovels and watering cans, their faces smeared with soil and smiles, underscored the programme’s joyful spirit.
Adding a layer of civic prestige to the proceedings was Mayor Fabrice Rulinda, whose presence elevated the launch event into a beacon of local leadership. Gracing the ceremony with unwavering resolve, Rulinda reaffirmed his administration’s ironclad commitment to safeguarding the Kitubulu Forest Reserve.
“This land is our heritage, our lungs, and our legacy,” he proclaimed to a crowd of cheering students and eco-enthusiasts. “We will not stand idly by as it withers. Through partnerships like Go Green, we’re drawing a line in the sand—or better yet, rooting it firmly in the earth.” Under Rulinda’s guidance, municipal teams are already scouting buffer zones around the reserve for collaborative planting projects, blending policy with grassroots action.
Muhumuza revealed yet another pillar of the campaign’s strategy: a groundbreaking collaboration with the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF). Dubbed the UPDAF initiative (a nod to the armed forces’ environmental arm), this partnership aims to transform every vacant plot of UPDF land across the country into verdant oases.
“From barracks in the north to training grounds in the east, no inch of idle soil will go unseeded,” Muhumuza explained. “The military’s discipline and reach make them ideal allies in this battle against bare earth.”
Fueling these efforts are corporate champions stepping up to the plate. Roofings Group, a leader in sustainable manufacturing, and TOA Com Africa, a telecom innovator with a green agenda, have pledged their support for seedling procurement.
“Their expertise in sourcing quality saplings at scale will ensure we hit our targets without compromising on viability,” Muhumuza added. This public-private synergy not only accelerates planting but also models how businesses can pivot toward planetary good.
As Uganda grapples with the encroaching threats of climate change—erratic rains, soil erosion, and biodiversity loss—the Go Green Schools Campaign emerges as a timely antidote. By empowering youth to lead, it flips the script on environmental apathy, turning classrooms into command centers for conservation.
Early participants report not just greener schoolyards, but budding eco-leaders: kids sketching forest maps in art class, debating carbon footprints in debate clubs, and rallying peers for weekend clean-ups.
Challenges remain, of course. Securing water for saplings in drought-prone areas and monitoring long-term survival rates will test the campaign’s resilience. Yet, with Muhumuza’s vision, Rulinda’s resolve, and a chorus of youthful voices, the path forward feels fertile. As one wide-eyed student from a participating school put it: “We’re not just planting trees—we’re planting hope.”
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