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By JohnMary Luwaga
Members of the Rotary Club of Bwerenga together with hundreds of Rotarians across Africa have embarked on greening the community to mark the launch of the centennial plant my balance project.
The signature project which is the main area of focus for the new District Governor, Agnes Batengas, is also to mark the celebration of 100 years of Rotary action in Africa.
To celebrate this day, RC Bwerenga has decided to focus on the environment in which they stay and their neighbourhood the Jomayi estate plus adjacent villages of Bugiri, all in Katabi town council, Wakiso, Uganda.
One of the old sitting residents Catherine Nankwagu noted that this is a carbon footprint initiative to green the environment because the eighty-acre piece of land on which the estate is built, was once covered by flora and fauna.
“Development comes with deforestation. However, the re-afforestation initiative is a good gesture that will neutralise climate change effects,” she added.
According to the club president Joseph Kabiito, 100 trees have been planted so far and more are yet to be planted.
In addition, he ensured the sustainability of the project as the trees will be watered and taken care of as many members all live close-by. “The pledge of all Rotary Clubs was to plant their balance to hundred years from their year of existence,” he stated.
Elsewhere in Entebbe, Rotarians from Lubowa, Kigo, Entebbe, Seguku, Nkumba, Bwebajja, among other adjacent areas, joined the District Governor Agnes Batenga to mark the centennial signature project launch, dubbed ‘Plant Your Balance,’ where they planted more than 300 trees at the shrine.
The Climate Change Act calls upon all government agencies to come up with an action plan.
Rotarian Tom Rukundo, the Director of Natural Forest Management under the National Forestry Authority (NFA) highlighted that several Rotary Clubs had signed a memorandum of understanding with the NFA which has been supportive by providing a large number of seedlings.
He therefore testified that Rotary clubs represent and support communities, engage the youth, and thus are key in mobilising for environmental action.
Rukundo also noted that NFA has a goal of 24% of Uganda’s territory to be covered with trees by 2040, Uganda’s target to emit greenhouse emissions.
Margaret Athieno Mwebesa, the Commissioner for Climate Change in the Ministry of Water and Environment, called for inclusiveness in climate change resilience and innovativeness as well as confirming that there were US$500bn channeled to developing countries, to enable climate change action by 2030 and therefore urged nations to think outside the box to enable this.
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