In a significant step towards promoting environmental protection and sustainable living, over 40 Climate Action Champions from five sub-counties in Adjumani district have received public address systems from Friends of Zoka to support their community sensitization efforts.
The Champions drawn from Dzaipi, Itirikwa, Pakele, Adropi, and Ukusijoni sub-counties recently completed an intensive training program focused on community engagement, monitoring, documenting, and reporting environmental issues within their communities.
The capacity-building initiative aimed to equip them with both the knowledge and tools to effectively raise awareness about key environmental issues, including deforestation, encroachment, wetland conservation, and climate change adaptation.
Each champion received a portable, solar-powered public address system, allowing them to reach wider audiences, including those in hard-to-access rural areas.
The equipment is expected to significantly enhance their outreach activities, such as village dialogues, school sensitizations, market awareness campaigns, and community theater sessions.
Speaking at the handover event held at Adjumani Multipurpose Center, the team leader of Friends of Zoka Amazuru, William Lesen, emphasized the purpose of the intervention and said that issues of environmental destruction are real in Adjumani district.
Mandera Gloria, a Climate Action Champion from Dzaipi sub-county, expressed her excitement and commitment to the task ahead.
“Because the issues of environmental destruction are becoming rampant. So, as the climate action champion, we are ensuring that the community is aware and they should know their roles in environmental conservation, and are not supposed to destroy it.”
According to Mandera, the “public address system is going to support our activity.” “The recording we are going to play in the community is all about how to protect our environment. So, it’s something very important, and we thank the management of Friends of Zoka for the great things they have done.
“They have built our capacity and we shall ensure that this equipment they have given us it’s going to empower us in doing our work,” said Mandera.
Idro Joakino, a climate Action Champion from Pakele sub-county, has appealed to his fellow members not to misuse the equipment they have received during this election period. “We know very well that after destroying the trees, the effect or the impact is too much.
“So, I’m appealing to the Climate Action Champions not to misuse the materials for doing campaigns since we know it is the election period. We have to use it in a good manner, such that we can run our activity day to day for the friends of Zoka.
“You need to play the role of how to protect the environment. Be exemplary in the community. Not even telling them you do this, but you start with you by planting even seedlings,” said Joakino.
Mawadri Charles, the head of program at Friends of Zoka, said that equipment is part of the Sea West Nile project (strengthening Environmental Accountability) Friends of Zoka is implementing in partnership with RICE West Nile.
“Today, we are so privileged to give out some public address systems to our climate champions who have been drawn from five sub-counties of Adjumani district. That is Ukusijoni, Itirikwa, Adropi, Dzaipi and Pakele,” he said.
This has come with the support from the Royal Danish Embassy in collaboration with the Irish Embassy, the Netherlands Embassy, and the Swiss Embassy.
The project is called SEA West Nile, which is a strengthening of environmental accountability that we are implementing in a partnership with the Rice West Nile and Space.
“As you are all aware, climate change is real, and in Adjumani, the effects are being felt. With the refugee presence and the other community members, we find that we are experiencing the effects of climate change in a mass,” Mawadri added.
“It has affected the production patterns in the district. The rain patterns have also been affected. We’ve experienced very long spells of drought. And we feel it’s the right time to educate the masses about our environmental issues and then also hold the leaders accountable for their actions because most of the challenges that we are facing are as a result of some human activity, which are preventable.
“So, I would like to encourage all the other stakeholders, the other civil society organizations, that we should work together to ensure that we address issues of environmental protection and take it seriously because whatever we do, the environment comes first because where we work, our production processes are all affected by the environment,” he noted.
The initiative is part of a broader strategy to localize climate action, ensuring that messages of environmental stewardship reach every corner of the district.
By leveraging the influence of community-based champions and enhancing their capacity, the project aims to foster a culture of responsibility and sustainable living across Adjumani.
Similarly, in February 2025, dozens of Climate Action Champions in Adjumani district were given bicycles to support their advocacy.
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