Madi-West Nile Diocese ramps up planting campaign ahead of Tree Sunday
Since 2018, the diocese, under the stewardship of Bishop Charles Collins Andaku, has gazetted the third week of March every year as Environment Week, culminating in Tree Sunday on the third Sunday of March.
Diocesan officials planting a tree at the headquarters. (Photo by Robert Adiga)
_________________
Madi-West Nile Diocese has launched Environment Week ahead of the 9th edition of Tree Sunday.
Since 2018, the diocese, under the stewardship of Bishop Charles Collins Andaku, has gazetted the third week of March every year as Environment Week, culminating in Tree Sunday on the third Sunday of March.
The diocese has also gazetted the months of March and September as environment months, in line with provincial pronouncements, with the aim of planting over 15 million trees by 2027 as the Church of Uganda celebrates 150 years of existence.
Meanwhile, Madi-West Nile Diocese aims to plant about 192,000 trees this year alone as it works towards its broader target of 185,000 trees over the next two years.
Bishop Charles Collins Andaku prays as he launches the Madi-West Nile Diocese Environment Week and Tree Sunday. (Photo by Robert Adiga)
While launching Environment Week under the slogan My Environment, My Responsibility, with the theme Work And Take Care Of Environment, and Tree Sunday at the diocesan headquarters in Mvara on March 16, 2026, Rt Rev. Charles Collins Andaku, the Bishop of Madi-West Nile Diocese, encouraged Christians to embrace their God-given mandate of working and caring for the environment.
Bishop Andaku said environmental issues are central to the diocese’s agenda in a bid to improve the livelihoods of Christians as the region grapples with numerous environmental challenges.
“Environmental issues are very key on our agenda, and as a result, we have been implementing a diocesan environmental strategy to address the changes in our weather and the associated livelihood challenges as the region is ranked second poorest to Karamoja,” said Bishop Andaku.
Bishop Andaku added that the Church is at the forefront of community transformation, noting that the overall goal of the diocesan environmental strategy is to improve livelihoods, alleviate poverty and preserve the environment.
Jesca Mungulemisaru, the household community and transformation coordinator for Madi-West Nile Diocese, said the theme reminds Christians of their God-given mandate and calls for reflection on their actions.
According to her, this year’s Tree Sunday will be celebrated in Vurra Archdeaconry on Sunday, March 22, 2026, with each archdeaconry tasked to plant 14,500 trees.
“As a diocese, our slogan is my environment, my responsibility, implying that the days is to reflect on our actions and derive means of correcting our unfriendly environmental actions,” said Mungulemisaru.
She added that the celebration of Tree Sunday has rotated across archdeaconries since 2018, and this year’s event will be held in Vurra Archdeaconry, where five acres of land have already been set aside for tree planting.