Police children school wins environmental competition

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Kampala's Makindye division-based Kibuli Police Children Primary School has emerged the best in an environmental competition.

The event involved nine primary schools, including Mengo, Kitebi, Kabowa Church of Uganda, Kibuli Demonstration, Kibuye, Railway Children, Good Hope and Citizen.

Organised by Dana Developing New Africa, the competition showcased pupils' skills in farming, planting vegetables, trees, eggplants, spinach and other plants as a means of conserving the environment.

The organisation aims to promote a clean and healthy environment in Uganda and Africa at large.

Founded by Dana Simovic, a Swedish citizen, the organisation seeks to address environmental issues such as littering, deforestation, and soil degradation.

DANA Executive Director, Dana Simovic (wearing) with Pupils of Police Children Primary School who won DANA Environment Conservation Competitions. (Credit: Edward Luyimbaazi)

Simovic emphasised the importance of teaching children environmental conservation practices from a young age.

Samali Aliraba, a teacher at Police Children School, praised the programme, stating that it has enabled the school to produce food and generate income through sales.

Aliraba thanked the organisers and encouraged all schools to participate in developing a better Uganda.

Haruna Nambale, the headteacher of Citizen Parents' Primary School, expressed pride in being part of the programme.

He urged the Government to partner with the foundation to build a better Uganda and encouraged the National Environment Authority to collaborate with Dana Developing New Africa to promote farming and forestation in schools.

A recent study by the Global Water Partnership in East Africa shows that Uganda loses over 15% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to the high rate at which natural resources are destroyed.

These natural resources, include wetlands, water bodies such as rivers and lakes, forests and fertile soil.

Protection of the environment has been one of the key goals of the Government of Uganda, which adopted a National Environment Policy in 1994 and one of the policy objectives is to collect, analyse, store and disseminate reliable information relating to environmental management issues.

This was further strengthened in 1995 by the National Environment Act Cap 153, which put in place the institutional framework that established the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), which is the principal agency responsible for the management of the environment in Uganda.