FAO boss Querido flags off Green Schools evaluation team

_____________________
 CONSERVATION 

📍 West Nile + Karamoja

Over the coming two weeks, teams of evaluators will visit various schools in 10 regions of Uganda to assess their innovative projects aimed at mitigating or adapting to climate change, as one of the key activities of the Green Schools Initiative.

The evaluation begins today (Tuesday, July 16) in the two regions of West Nile and Karamoja.

This exercise is one of the two tracks of the Green Schools Initiative, which is in its second year of implementation by Vision Group in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)  and funded by the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda.

The other track is debate, which was conducted at the regional level last month and saw 30 schools — three per region — qualify for this year's national climate change debate championship that will take place from August 26 - 30 in Kampala.

▪️  30 schools for climate change national debate championship

Alongside the best debating schools, the best projects will also be recognized and the schools behind them rewarded for their climate-keen solutions — just like last year.

For now, the evaluators' visits in the coming days will be useful in identifying the leading projects.

"Your role of paramount importance," said Antonio Querido, the FAO country representative in Uganda, when he flagged off the evaluation team on Monday at the FAO offices in Kampala.

"If we want a longlasting change, it is in schools that we can change the attitudes and also understanding what is at risk and what can be done to preserve the environment for future generations."

Querido said that as FAO, they were able to incorporate the Green Schools Initiative into their own climate change programme because "we believe that it is in schools that we can make a substantive change when it comes to environmental conservation".

The hope is also that a new generation of children will become aware of the need to continue to protect and preserve the natural resources.

According to the FAO chief, "individual actions are important for the transformation that we want".

 IN PICTURES   📸

Evaluation and media teams meeting...

FAO's Agatha Ayebazibwe briefing the teams

Green Schools Initiative project manager and New Vision editor John Eremu taking notes

Dr Emmanuel Zziwa (R), the team leader of FAO Uganda's climate change programme speaks as Faith Kwikiriza, who is part of the evaluation team, listens on

New Vision's Joy Abo is leading the media team covering the eastern axis

Sidney Miria is the Green Schools Initiative project coordinator and New Vision's head of special projects

Evaluators Ronald Kaboyo and Robert Kigongo

Media team ready to set off on Tuesday...