Conservation through environmental education

Namulonge Church of Uganda Primary School is an eco-school where pupils have created an orchard, nursery beds and medicinal garden. They are growing bananas and maize, practicing Farming God’s Way and also growing their vegetables in sacks where space is limited.

The school was visited in June by 40 Ugandan teachers as part of the A Rocha International environmental education workshops at Kira Farm on the outskirts of Kampala. It was a demonstration of just what can be achieved when ideas for sustainable living are incorporated into a school’s curriculum.

With an average class size of 74 pupils, these 40 teachers together teach nearly 3000 children! Thanks to the workshops, they will now be able to share their knowledge on topics such as climate change and plastic pollution, as well as encourage the use of ‘tippy taps’ – simple handwashing devices that improve sanitation while saving water – and Farming God’s Way.

The workshops were followed by an environmental education conference for A Rocha staff from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, India and Peru. Participants learned about the Sustainable Development Goals and shared ideas for mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change – both central to developing strategies for sustainable livelihoods. They also visited the eco-school and spent a day with A Rocha Uganda learning how bio-sand water filters and charcoal briquettes are made.

The workshops, conference and support for A Rocha’s wider environmental education activities were all made possible thanks to generous donations from supporters during the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2018. Thank you to all who enable work like this to happen!

The teachers at one of the environmental education workshops (Photos: Amigos Kira Farm)