National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) joined the rest of the world to commemorate International Day of Rural Women by running a special program dubbed “special rural woman” on its Community Green Radio.
The program was intended to celebrate the rural women’s contribution by giving them a platform to amplify their voices on challenges, successes and inspirations encountered in taking part in development.
The International Day of Rural Women recognizes the critical roles and contributions of rural women in enhancing agriculture and rural development, food security and nutrition, and eradicating rural poverty. The 2024 International Day of Rural Women invites all stakeholders to celebrate the rural women’s essential role in building climate resilience, conserving the biodiversity and caring for the land.
UN Women’s latest research estimate that globally, climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty and 236 million more women and girls into food insecurity by 2050.
During the program, the women noted that natural resources and livelihoods are being depleted and rural women’s ability to safely secure healthy food, clean energy and water has diminished.
Margret Nassiwa, a resident of Kasimbi Village in Mulagi Sub County in Kiboga district says unpaid for work such as cooking, cleaning, fetching water and firewood, and taking care of the children and other family members give women less time to go for paid labour and end up having only one option as agriculture as source of employment.
However, their efforts to be economically empowered in farming are still frustrated by cultural norms that put men at the center of everything who end up owning and selling the crops grown by women yet they(women) do all the laborious agricultural work.
The women highlighted that despite the fact that rural women play indispensable role in the area of food security, poverty eradication and rural development in general, they still face great challenges such as limited ownership, control and access to land due to patriarchy that increases the poverty level margin.
Rose Kunihira a rural woman who has been involved in farming since 2001 after marriage says the challenges she faces as a rural farmer range from limited land that she acquired after losing her husband in 2007 to unproductive land due to loss of soil fertility.
“As a single mother of two, I raise my children through farming but as a rural farmer, I lack access to information provided to other farmers, I pray to be empowered through financing to acquire more land” Kunihira laments.
Kate Kobusingye says though farming is vital for rural women, they are barred by the high costs incurred to buy inputs for their crops because of the modern seeds that need fertilizers yet most of the soils have become poor due to planting one type of crop.
“We are faced with costly Agro-inputs yet as rural women farmers, we are poor, so why can’t they empower us to use indigenous seeds that are cheap to maintain if we are to eradicate poverty and promote food security “says Kobusingye.
Valeria Nabweteme, another rural woman from Kyankwanzi notes that lack of access to clean and safe water and clean energy consumes much time for rural women to involve in other source of livelihoods that are income generating. She adds that lack of access to electricity and financial services like banks are a challenge to women who may want to deal in business.
“Women spend long distances looking for firewood and water which is a challenge. If government can extend services to rural areas or provide clean energy alternatives, maybe rural women can get out of poverty,” said Nabweteme.
However, the challenges highlighted by women can be overcome if women are empowered and know their rights according to some of the rural women activists who are trying to change the lives of other women.
Sylvia Nalumagga, a Coordinator for Bunyoro Women’s Development Network and the Deputy Mayor for Hoima City says women can be change agents if they put their brains together to find solutions as they continue putting pressure on government. She says her group came up with an idea of making charcoal briquettes from food wastes and energy saving stoves as an alternative to solve the problem of firewood and its related challenges like scarcity, environmental degradation, smoke among others.
Annet Kasoro, the Coordinator of a Kabaale Women’s Farmers group in Buseruka Sub County in Hoima says that they have embarked on growing and promoting indigenous seeds that were facing extinction due to improved seeds which had become costly and prone to pests and disease leading to food insecurity which impacts much on women.
Beatrice Rukanyanga, a member of the steering committee for Rural Women’s Movement says women need to have one voice and be able to stand up and advocate for their rights so that the government can listen.
She says they are mobilizing women to join the rural women’s movement so that they can be at the forefront of demand for environmental social and economic justice.
Precious Naturinda, the Field Mobilizer for NAPE’s Grassroots Women Movement says there is need to unite in promoting rural women’s rights, amplifying their voices and taking concrete action to support their indispensable role in forging a more equitable, just and sustainable world for all people and the planet.
She says NAPE is mobilizing women to influence decision making in national development processes as well as promote the adoption of feminist development alternatives in communities affected by resource extraction and large development projects.
Leaders in Kiboga and Kyankwanzi districts have called on citizens to embrace government programs as a solution to end poverty which is the main cause of gender-based violence.
Speaking in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child, the Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Kyankwanzi, Peruth Kabaale said that embracing key government programs is the only solution to get Ugandans out of poverty.
“The only way we can end gender based violence and violence against children is to embrace parish development model, Emyooga, Youth livelihood programs, Grow loans and all opportunities so that we can get out of poverty and then we would have solutions for early marriages,” Kabale said
Kabale however noted that government action alone is not enough and asked all stakeholders, parents, community leaders, civil society organizations, religious and cultural leaders and the private sector to also join the fight against forced marriages, teenage pregnancies and school dropouts.
“We must take joint actions to ensure all our girls enroll and complete all levels of education, live healthy, free from violence and all harmful social norms. We must work together to dismantle all barriers that hinder girls’ progress in Uganda,” she said.
Her comments came after the young girls in the district raised an alarm over increasing school drop outs, forced marriages and gender-based violence affecting them; which are attributed to poverty.
According to the District Vice Chairperson for Kyankwanzi, Amooti Mijjumbi, poverty worsens gender-based violence (GBV) by increasing economic dependence, limiting access to resources, and reinforcing harmful social norms.
Christine Kaaya, the Kiboga district woman Member of Parliament, urged parents to follow up cases of rape and defilement from police up to court so that the offenders are apprehended.
Story compiled by Gerald Senkoomi
Women with disabilities organized under Hoima Blind Women Association (HOBWA) are participating in efforts to mitigate climate change and its effects.
Joy Rufunda, the HOBWA Executive Director, says their aim is see 5,000 trees planted by women at their homes and on their land away from home within one year.
Rufunda says the degradation of natural forests and wetlands in favor of human activities like agriculture has contributed to climate change and its effects. She says people with disabilities are the most affected because if accessibility to firewood is hard, they find more trouble compared to the ones without disability.
Joseph Mukama, the PWDs chairperson in Kikuube district council asks women to select eco-friendly tree seedling species like musizi, mvule (musiimbi) and mahogany – the indigenous trees known for their advantage to mitigating climate change in both rain formation and soil conservation for crop production and high yields.
This is contrary to exotic trees like eucalyptus that he says cannot allow intercropping compared to native trees.
Anna Mary Tumusiime, a member of HOBWA, called for tireless and continuous community sensitization about climate change.
Beatrice Aheebwa, the councilor for PWDs in Kapaapi sub-county, Hoima district, is appealing to PWDs to always work hard in spite of their bodily disabilities.
Aheebwa advised that amidst climate change being experienced, people should not only plant trees but also food crops like cassava, maize and beans for their home consumption to avoid food insecurity.
She stressed the members’ positive mindset in mitigating climate change and its effects is key for a desirable environment to live in.
In rural Kapeke Sub County in Kiboga district, Kapeke Women Beekeepers Group has discovered beekeeping as a sweet path to economic independence. The group is fostering their lives, fostering resilience and self-sufficiency while protecting the environment.
Sarah Kamyuka, the group chairperson says beekeeping was initially scary for women but continuous training and learning from Community Green Radio, they have slowly embraced the idea.
“Women feared bees but poverty frightens more. Women have overcome beekeeping anxieties through hands on training and bee keeping programs on radio have motivated many women to start the business. The group started when we were like 10 but we are now over 30 in my community,” said Kamyuka.
To date, the group earns about 2,000,000 Uganda shillings per harvest from sales of honey and created value addition through other bee related products like propolis and candles. The profit is re-invested in production processes to increase their harvest and improve their quality.
Kamyuka says they are also planting indigenous trees to support their beekeeping business and this has contributed towards environmental conservation.
Julius Kyamanywa, the station Manager for Community Green Radio, believes that such projects are helping women to transform their lives at the same time conserving the environment. He applauded the women, who are also members of Kapeke Green Radio listeners club, for embracing such environmental friendly initiatives in sustaining their incomes and conserving the environment.
For years, fishing provided for Constance Nyamisana’s family, but restrictive regulations have crippled her livelihood. Nyamisana, now in her 80’s, has lived in Kaiso fishing village on Lake Albert’s shores. She says her husband; a fisherman would wake before dawn to set out onto the lake. The daily catch would feed their family and provide income to send their children to school. She said her role was to vend fish along the lake which has since reduced due to restrictions to conserve the Lake.
In 2018, the government imposed fishing restrictions to conserve Lake Albert’s dwindling fish stocks. While well-intentioned, the regulations devastated Nyamisana’s community.
Nyamisana is among the many women who are now facing numerous challenges resulting from the restrictions including loss of livelihood, food insecurity and high school dropout which have led to increased gender based violence.
Sylvia Kemigisa, the Chairperson for Kaiso Women Empowerment Agency said the increasing cases of gender based violence prompted them to establish a safe space with support from National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE). The space, according to Kemigisa is helping the police to handle minor cases of gender based violence through mediation, counseling and peace building.
She notes that most of the cases reported are largely affecting women due to loss of livelihood and food insecurity.
Kemigisa says despite these hardships, they remain determined as they have started exploring other alternative sources of income like kitchen gardening, selling handmade crafts and pushing for more inclusive fishing regulations.
Nyamisana, who already has a small garden of egg plants, said the alternative sources of livelihoods are promising. She says she gets market from her community and is able to get enough food for his family.
She calls upon the government to consider the livelihoods of communities in implementing the restrictions.
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) has launched a compendium on the dynamics of land acquisition for development in the global south with a call for a model of development that benefits local people.
The compendium, that was launched at Nican Resort Hotel on October 3rd, involves thematic topics on historical, ongoing and emerging land questions relating to how land is acquired for large land-based investments. It is a product of intellectual study group sessions on Land and Natural resource that NAPE has been convening since January 2023, comprising of Rosa Luxemburg Foundation partners in Uganda as well as other civil society actors, academicians, journalists and opinion leaders.
During the launch, the Executive Director, Mr. Frank Muramuzi noted that local people’s land is being grabbed in the guise of development by government and investors. He noted that globally, especially in African countries and Uganda in particular, a few powerful individuals both multinational and domestic acquire land that rightfully belongs to the local people for large plantations and extractive industry leaving the host communities impoverished.
Mr. Muramuzi said a people-centered model of development that fulfills human rights and protects the environment is urgently needed.
Mr. Richard Mugisha, a Researcher, argues that land titling is a new form of land grabbing that is being used by development actors to grab land. He said that there is a continuous push for individual land ownership and land titling as opposed to customary land ownership to make it easy for actors to grab land from individuals.
Mr. Mugisha noted that political elites have acted as an umbrella for the land grabbers hence making the communities suffer not only due to lack of knowledge in regards to their rights but also because the laws and policies do not cater for protection and reservation of these rights.
“Customary land that involves many people is hard to put in the market. But with a land title, one can easily be put to corner to easily sell,” said Mugisha
Mr. Muhamed Lunyango, a scholar at Makerere Institute of social research explained that with land titles, the land is being taken over forcefully by replacement, leasing or being bought cheaply in the name of development hence violating human rights of existence of the locals and right of the ownership of land. He said with individual ownership, one can easily be convinced to give away land at a cheaper price compared to when it’s a community living on the land customarily.
“Our focus should not be on ownership alone; whether a man or a woman owns land individually, but rather on whether the claims we have on a land as a collective- man, woman, and children- are protected. Because owning land as an individual makes us a target for land grabbers who have an assumption that those communities must let go of their land, for which they must accept the monetary equivalent of the same,” Mr. Luyango explains.
Mr. Joram Basiima, a resident of Kigaaga village in Hoima district said they are already experiencing land grabbing by development actors who pay them little money.
“In our communities, we are already experiencing land grabbing by carbon trading companies like Tree for Global benefits, New Forest Company and Green Resources among others, who make us sign documents we don’t understand and end up giving us little money and taking charge of the forest. They came into our communities of Kikuube and Hoima districts obtaining land from people who are living on the land adjacent the river line forest. They gave them some little money, 6 million shillings which could not even buy half an acre. And they were threatening people that they must sell to them or suffer a lot with government,” said Mr. Basiima.
It is on this note that Mr. Muramuzi called on communities to start collectively registering the land and also start processing their land titles as a community or a family to be able to protect themselves from land grabbers who take advantage of individual land ownership.
To read more about the compendium, follow this link: https://www.greenradio.ug/download/nape-compendium-report/
STORY COMPILED BY PRECIOUS NATURINDA AND ADRINE TWONGIRWE
Beatrice Rukanyanga’s group, Kwataniza Women Farmer’s group was among the 54 Non-Governmental Organizations whose operation, the government suspended in 2021.
The Community Based Organization, located in Buseruka Sub County in Hoima district aimed at promoting women’s livelihoods and rights, was suspended for four months.
Whereas the reason for suspension was among others non-compliance, Rukanyanga says her group had no compliance issues. She instead says,
“The government sees us as anti-development and they do all this to instill fear in us so that we don’t hold them accountable.”
Rukanyanga is among many women activists who have braved threats and intimidation for talking against the risks related to the planned East African Crude Oil Pipeline and its negative impacts on the local communities in Uganda’s Albertine region.
Sylvia Kemigisa, another activist and the chairperson of Kaiso Women’s Group located in Kaiso fishing village along Lake Albert in Hoima district also expressed concern over the frustrations they go through to renew their operating license with the district.
“We normally experience delays from district leaders who sometimes threaten to close our group They always say we are against oil and gas industry yet we always talk about issues affect our community such as loss of livelihoods, increased gender based violence and high school dropout rates,” said Ms.Kemigisa.
According to the activists, the communities are feeling the pinch of negative impacts of extractives including increased cases of gender based violence, food insecurity land grabbing and violation of human rights due to the massive infrastructure development for oil and gas.
“Our communities are already experiencing food insecurity fueled by oil and gas developments which have increased cases of land grabbing due to pipeline, airport and refinery projects in our area,” said Rukanyanga. “Besides that gender based violence sparked by food insecurity, land grabbing and unfair compensation has increased. In 2022, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) established a safe space at our office with trained caretakers to handle cases of gender based violence but in a year, we register over 300 cases which mostly affect women,” she said.
According to Rukanyanga, they have continuously been stifled by government for defending the rights of people affected by crude oil activities.
It is against this background that the grassroots women are building power through grassroots women movement as a strategy to collectively fight against the negative impacts of oil and gas.
The NAPE led women’s movement that has already mobilized over 35000 women in Hoima, Buliisa, Kiboga, Kwankwanzi, Kikuube and Nwoya districts is aimed challenging the negative impacts of oil and gas by standing in solidarity, speaking up and holding their leaders accountable.
“There is power in numbers. The government finds it hard to target an individual or a group when we are speaking as one voice yet organized in thousands. In case of any problem, we support each other,” said Rukanyanga.
Rajab Bwengye the coordinator of programs at NAPE called upon women to continue fighting for their rights as NAPE builds the grassroots women movement with a target of mobilizing at least 50,000 women to engage collectively against the dangers of extractives and demanding for climate justice by close of 2027.
During their recent interaction meetings at the close of August 2024, EACOP affected women under the Grassroots Women Movement led by National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) expressed dismay over continued land grabbing, gender based violence, forced evictions and hunger and also increased environmental degradation which have left women in the livelihood hardships.
“We thought it was oil and prosperity, the productive land for agriculture has been taken for oil and gas developments as speculators and rich people grab land leaving women- who have for long lived on the land for survival- in livelihood hardships. We are suffering with accelerated food insecurity, climate change effects and ecosystems depletion,” said Justine Nyakalaya, a resident of Kakindo village in Buliisa town council.
According to the women, the communities are feeling the pinch of negative impacts of extractives including increased cases of violence against women, girls and children, gender based violence, food insecurity, and violation of human rights due to the massive infrastructure development for oil and gas.
“Our communities are already experiencing food insecurity fueled by oil and gas developments which have increased cases of land grabbing due to the pipeline, airport and refinery projects in our area,” said Rukanyanga. “Besides that gender based violence sparked by food insecurity, land grabbing and unfair compensation has increased. In 2022, National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) established a safe space at our office with trained caretakers to handle cases of gender based violence but in a year, we register over 300 cases which mostly affect women,” she said.
According to Rukanyanga, they have continuously been stifled by government for defending the rights of people affected by crude oil activities commending the work NAPE and the Green radio are doing to ensure women are well organized and well-coordinated to collectively defend their rights through movement building.
The women further appreciated the Community Green Radio for amplifying their voices and giving them a platform to speak up and collectively resist the negative impacts of oil and gas extractives.
“Community Green Radio has been instrumental in putting our voices on the airwaves so that we can talk about the issues affecting us, contribute to and initiate conversations within our community about the challenges we face, the solutions and how to hold our leaders accountable,” said Sylvia Kemigisa of Kaiso Women Empowerment agency thanking partners such as 11th Hour, American Jewish world Service and Woman Kind World Wide who are supporting Women Organizing and the Green radio Outreach Advocacy Work.
The women say they have been targeted by government to silence them not to talk about the negative impacts of oil and gas but Community Green Radio has given them the safe space to speak out collectively against Oil injustices they face.
“Even when we are not allowed to hold meetings, the Community Green Radio journalists often record our voices and play them on radio,” said Sylvia Kemigisa, the Chairperson of Kaiso Women Empowerment Agency.
They called on Community Green Radio journalists to make more frequent visits and coverage of oil and gas injustices amidst economic hardships noting that their remote and hard to reach locations quite often put them at a disadvantage making them suffer in silence against negative impacts of the many oil and gas infrastructure hosted in their localities singling out Oil well pads, oil pipelines, central processing facilities and oil roads.
Rajab Bwengye, the coordinatorof projects at NAPE said the Green radio’s aim is to strengthen the voices of grass root women and youths, give them an advocacy platform and shape interventions on issues affecting them. He pledged for continued coverage of their issues and putting their voices on the airwaves.
“Women are the experts of their own lives. They know better the issues affecting them than anybody else and that’s why as Community Green Radio, we have created safe spaces for them to be heard and be part of the conversation on oil and gas injustices,” said Bwengye.
SheliaMuwanga, the Country representative of American Jewish World Service (AJWS) who joined the NAPE team on the Women Solidarity campaigns against extractives in the Oil rift called on Women not to give up but rather continue to mobilize and defend collectively against corporate capture.
National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) has been applauded for building the resilience of communities and amplifying the voices of marginalized women to collectively resist the negative impacts of oil and gas extractives in the Albertine women.
During the meeting of women organized under Grassroots Women Movement, which is coordinated by NAPE, the women appreciated NAPE for organizing them into groups and empowering them to know their rights.
“We were not able to speak up while the government was poorly compensating us for the land they took for Kaiso-Tonya road. But when NAPE came in, they sensitized us on the importance of speaking up and resisting injustice collectively. We formed Kaiso Women’s Group and have since advocated for women’s rights,” said Sylvia Kemigisa, a resident of Kaiso fishing village in Kabaale Sub county, Hoima district.
Daisy Kwikiriza, the Chairperson of Buliisa United Women with Disability, appreciated NAPE for specifically amplifying the voices of women with disabilities that were for long been left out amidst human rights violations caused by oil and gas industry.
“Women with disabilities are discriminated in our society and because of that, I used to fear speaking in public due to my disability but NAPE built my confident and supported us to form a group of women with disabilities which I am now heading. I thank NAPE for inclusive programs where women with disabilities are considered and respected. I now know my rights and I have taken a mantle of empowering other women with disabilities,” said Kwikiriza.
The women also appreciated NAPE for supporting them with social and economic empowerment programs.
“NAPE has given us safe spaces aimed at minimizing gender based violence cases caused by oil and gas developments. We are not only handling cases reported by women but also men who feel violated by women,” said Lucy Mbuubi, a resident of Butimba in Kikuube district.
“NAPE has helped to amplify our voices through Community Green Radio. We are organized into listeners clubs and we go to the radio often to talk about issues affecting us. This is in addition to other good programs including environmental conservation initiatives, trainings on women’s rights and economic empowerment and also safe spaces to end gender based violence in our communities,” said Beatrice Rukanyanga, the Chairperson Kwataniza Women Group.
The NAPE Board Chairperson, Ephraim Niwagaba Lemmy, appreciated NAPE’s efforts in empowering communities and amplifying their voices. He also appreciated the women leaders for committing to voluntary work in ensuring that women are organized in groups and stay together.
“I am happy that NAPE work is felt on ground. I also thank the women leaders for mobilizing their fellow women and bringing them together to fight for their rights. I am happy that your groups have withstood the threats and intimidations in pushing for women’s rights,” said Niwagaba.
Frank Muramuzi, the NAPE Executive Director said the organization is committed to building resilient communities that can engage the status quo with regard to human and environmental rights abuse. He appreciated communities for making it possible.
Women affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) have been urged to take part in efforts aimed at mitigating effects of climate change in the wake of oil developments.
While meeting women affected by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) from Hoima, Kikuube and Buliisa districts, Frank Muramuzi, the Executive Director for National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) said oil projects and other related infrastructure like the roads, pipelines and the airport have already increased ecosystems depletion which will accelerate climate disasters.
Muramuzi urged women to plant trees, embrace energy saving initiatives like making charcoal briquettes and energy saving stoves to reduce on tree cutting.
During the meeting, the women from the districts of Buliisa, Hoima and Kikuube districts said they are already experiencing poor harvests and water scarcity which they attribute to oil and gas developments.
“The last agricultural season was characterized with poor harvests with communities specifically in Kabaale Sub County affected by the long dry spell which surfaced at a time people expected more rains after planting crops. Our soils no longer hold water for long which we attribute to massive cutting down of trees and destruction of water sources like Bugoma forest and swamps,” said Annet Kasolo, a resident of Kabaale Sub County in Hoima district.
Gorreti Kiiza, a resident of Kadindo cell in Buliisa town council said the area is experiencing floods which affect crops and houses due to massive tree cutting to pave way for oil and gas infrastructure.
“Bullisa is currently a beehive of oil and gas activities oil well pads are within people’s residential areas, pipelines and road constructions are everywhere this has led to massive vegetation loss. All this has caused floods which have affected crops leading to food insecurity and also forced displacement,” said Kiiza.
Kiiza further appreciated NAPE for organizing them into Grassroot Women’s Movement to collectively speak up against the challenges they are facing and building resilient communities able to fight for their rights.
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