Awareness to Action: Empowering the Youth in the Fight Against Pollution
To commemorate this World Environment Day, we are highlighting the people working diligently to protect the environment. Hon. Josephine Nassazi Mulamata, the Minister of Public Health, Environment & Education — Makindye Division in Kampala is one of the leaders encouraging her community to protect the environment. We share Hon Josephine’s perspective on why protecting the environment begins with the youth in communities.
Tell us a bit about yourself — why did you decide to work in public health and the environment?
I am passionate about the environment and community engagement. We only have one earth, and we need to take care of it. I am passionate about championing various environmental initiatives in the Division and in the community. Each one of us has an active role to play and can contribute effectively to protect and preserve our environment. I especially love engaging the youth in my community on how we can work towards protecting our environment.
As a leader in the community, how can we get the community involved in issues to do with the environment?
It is important to understand the culture and values of the community in order to sensitize them better and provide viable solutions. To encourage people to take part in awareness campaigns, we must participate with community members. Poor waste management is one of the big contributors to air pollution especially since the communities are prone to burning this waste. To avoid this, we are sensitizing the community on proper waste management and have set up designated waste collection centers. We also regularly carry out community clean-ups and door-to-door sensitization campaigns to encourage community members to dispose of their waste properly.
How can we get the young involved in protecting and conserving the environment?
The youth are a powerhouse. In the fight against air pollution and protecting our environment, it’s crucial now more than ever to empower them with the information that they need to make the right decisions for a sustainable future. To engage them, you just have to find their areas of interest and they will be able to give you attention. For example, we attend football tournaments hosted by the youth and we sensitize them on environmental matters at the end of the tournament. We are also sensitizing young children in schools as well. We encourage them to plant fruit trees in homesteads, church compounds, hospitals and schools with the guidance of their parents.
What are examples of progress you’ve seen in your community?
The past years have seen tremendous progress in taking care of the environment. We have seen communities starting to take care of their surroundings. Properly disposing of their waste. Although we have a long way to go, we are seeing positive steps towards proper garbage disposal and communities embracing planting of trees. It can only get better.
What steps can other cities take to tackle this problem?
Small acts of kindness towards the environment go a long way. A few things that other cities can adopt is planting fruit trees. They can serve two purposes: purifying the air and nourishing our bodies for generations to come. Understanding the community’s values and beliefs is important. Getting involved in community clean-ups as well as awareness and educating each other on the importance of improving the well-being of our environment is probably the most important thing that can be done. And of course, remembering the three rules of waste — reduce, reuse, recycle — in order to minimize waste which in turn has many benefits for our environment.
