Environmental Education’s Team attends conference in Kampala

Introduction.

Our Environmental Education Team visited A Rocha Uganda to attend the Environmental  Education conference for A Rocha Africa Organizations. Here is a story from Queen Elizabeth our Marine Environmental Education Officer.

The team in the conference hall

” Am here to pass on my knowledge after attending the Environmental Education conference for A Rocha Africa organization which took place at Amigos, Kira farm, Gayaza wakiso Uganda from 9th -13th May 2022. 

I want to thank A Rocha Kenya for allowing me to represent them and learn from the other A Rocha Organizations which include AR South Africa, AR Ghana, AR Nigeria, and AR Uganda; I am ready to share with my colleagues and put what I learned into practice. 

 Appreciations to Sarah French and Angela McKay from A Rocha International for their support and time in organizing this conference.  

Topics covered were  

• climate change and Sustainable Development Goals, 
• Fundraising, Monitoring, and evaluation 
• Pollution from plastics and microplastics 
• Microprojects and Technologies 
• Eco-schools 

Lessons and activities

 On the first day, we started with introductions; happy to meet physically after a long time of zoom meetings during the Covid pandemic. Presentations of the different AROS followed to showcase the work done and this is where we presented our A Rocha Kenya Environmental Education work. 

We learned a lot about using and promoting Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) which are goals through the future of 2030. With an emphasis on Goal 13 climate action, 14 life below water, and 15 life on the land which cut across the environmental global issues that we are currently facing. A test was done to measure one’s understanding of the same and we were happy that all the EE officers were conversant with the SDGs. Here is my work after the test.

My well-done test on SDGs

An emphasis was put on micro-projects in Eco-schools after sharing the different ongoing microprojects which included Art for nature project from AR Ghana, Kitchen Gardening by AR Uganda, Sac Garden by AR Nigeria, and many more. These are small projects engaging schools to go green and use the projects to pass knowledge to school kids and the youths through creativity, critical thinking, and practical skills.

Appreciations to AR Uganda for taking us to different schools to see their microprojects including kitchen gardens in schools and churches.  we were led by very enthusiastic environmental kids who explained the history of going green in their school through A Rocha Uganda. We visited the nearby kid who was the head boy to see his beautiful farm where he practices what he learned in school.    

Head boy Kitezi primary school Uganda showing us his farm at home from a microproject learned in school.

Appreciations to Prosper from A Rocha Ghana who shared with us how one can use games to pass across environmental knowledge. We played several games but I enjoyed the council of beings where we took the character of different non-human creatures who have been degraded by man and expressed our feelings to someone who acted as Man. This was emotional and it kept me thinking what if the earth speaks one day and reminds us of the various benefits that it gives us but we still go ahead and degrade it.

I acted like a rock, and I enjoyed it. Expressing myself with my roaring sound to present a strong angry rock as I was bitter with man who seems to be very selfish, excavates precious rocks in rivers for construction and suffocates them with paints living the land open. He destroys mother earth not remembering that it’s the rocks that purify water in the rivers and cover topsoil from erosion.   

Every member represented a creature and this included rain, earth, crane, grassland, cabbage, butterfly, and guava expressing anger in the council of being meeting to a point man felt guilty, sorry and was shedding tears. The man asked for forgiveness, and we warned him to change his ways and find a balance between nature and himself. We then ended the game by promoting  SDG goal 17 (partnership for goals); we reunited with the man, shook hands, and danced together. What an educational game! I can’t wait to share this with the environmental club kids I teach in schools.

It was worth it attending the conference as we are now back ignited ready to do more and keep the fire burning that is raising awareness to provide knowledge, change attitudes towards nature, and guide the community with various skills and active involvement (practically) as it is in the AKASP MODEL school’s environmental program. Awareness, Knowledge, Attitude, Skills, and Practice. 

AKASP MODEL

What a conference! my enthusiasm has increased, proud and ready to change kids’ and youths’ attitudes towards the environment as I believe that it is through environmental education that we get to learn, understand, love, and conserve mother earth.