UGANDA

Our agenda in Uganda in 2022 has cut across two main themes: climate adaptation and civic space for the young civil society. The climate crisis is severely affecting life and livelihood across Uganda, and urban residents battle increasing flooding and heat. At the same time, civil society organisations are under pressure trying to navigate compliance systems and access to resources to make a difference. In 2022, we have shared these agendas with our partners in Network for Active Citizens and Civil Society Strengthening Network across the cities Kampala and Arua. Here follows an overview of some of our results in Uganda for 2022.

Kamwanyi, Katwe, Kyebando, Kitintale, Kinawataka, Kunya, and Kirombe are all communities in Kampala, challenged by impacts of the climate crisis – but full of innovative young people who drive green change that take on the challenges. In Kampala, our efforts towards climate adaptation and young people’s continued in 2022 together with Network for Active Citizens. Over 20 commercial gardens were established and sustained by young agripreneurs and continued to produce vegetables across 7 communities, with an average increase of income of 20%. 6 green public spaces continued as points of inspiration for urban farming, with 1 more on the way. Their users were inspired into urban farming and established more than 30 vegetables gardens for home consumption.

Advocacy for green urban change has continued as a key focus in our GhettoGoGreen programme. Linking to our efforts on climate adaptation, young people in our network participated in evidence-based advocacy and co-developed a position paper on Young People’s Asks on Climate Change, which was shared broadly with city and community authorities. One of the things that was achieved in 2022 due to communityand youth-driven advocacy was to secure improved waste collection by Kampala’s city authority in the two communities Kamwanyi & Kyebando – communities that are challenged by poor infrastructure for handling waste.

A hub for young civic space became central to our efforts in Uganda in support of youth-led organisations. COVID-19 hit hard on civic space in Uganda. Dreamtown, Network for Active Citizens, and Civil Society Strengthening Network work together to support young civil society organisations become stronger as organisations and collaborate to support other youth in Arua. In 2022, we set up the first ever CSO hub in Arua – a growing and new city in Northern Uganda. This hub is a meeting and working space for youth organisations, where they can host activities and work and collaborate. Through the hub, we supported 37 youth-led organisations to operate more effectively –by giving support to them to build on their organisational systems, engage in new partnerships, and build their network in Arua.

Deborah Kamuganga lives in Katwe in Kampala. She has been part of our programme in Uganda to empower young people through climatesmart urban farming. With the training, she has created her own little garden at home – and at the same time, she is passionate as a community journalist to tell stories about other young people around her who take action against the impact of the climate crisis in the city.

Spotlight

GLOBAL RECOGNITION FOR LOCAL CHANGE: THE GREEN PLAY SPACE

The Green Play Space is located close to Lake Victoria in the community Kamwanyi. It is a secluded and safe space. It allows you to escape from the hustle and bustle of the busy roads and nearby harbor. And it is not just a place to hang out and relax. Our partner HADEHolistic Action for Development and Empowerment - has created a power space, where young mothers can learn skills such as tailoring, artwork, and urban farming. They learn how to re- and upcycle waste materials to make products they can sell. And that’s not all. The space also has a playground where children can safely play and have fun while their mothers go to trainings – which is much needed in Kampala to allow women the time and space to invest in themselves. In 2022, the space benefitted more than 230 people.

In 2022, HADE and The Green Play Space won The Real Play City Challenge by Real Play Coalition - a global non-profit coalition with the ambition to create a movement that narrows the play gap for 100 million children by 2030, by making play accessible and inclusive, because it is an essential right for children to thrive now and in the future. And that is exactly what The Green Play Space is doing. And not just that – but by linking with the community around the space, they connect people around different activities to protect and transform the environment. HADE arranges community waste collections and raise awareness on the impacts of the climate crisis in the flood-prone and vulnerable settlements around their space.

Next step for HADE and Dreamtown will be an interesting journey with feminist urban planning – when we in 2023 will embark on a project that puts girls and young women at the forefront of designing and making public spaces, testing out UN-Habitat´s Her City toolkit.

Want to know more?

Check out our film about Denise who is part of HADE and learn about a young mother’s quest to create a future for herself and her daughter, despite all odds, from living in the streets to becoming a leader at a local grassroots organisation