Overordnede mål
The proposed intervention aims to combat environmental degradation and promote sustainable development by fostering students’ environmental consciousness in Soroti district. The intervention takes inspiration from the Clean Environmental Initiative Project (CEIP) and will be implemented in 20 schools. It looks further into the long-term outcomes and presents strategies to address the challenges faced by students after they acquire the environmental skills relating to waste management, tree planting and sustainable energy solutions.
Umiddelbare mål
Specific objectives 1. Students have been equipped with practical skills in clean waste management, tree planting, and energy stove construction as well as support skills in problem solving, team building, and entrepreneurship to increase their passion for the environment and are together with the environmental club patrons, teaching and non-teaching staff promoting environmental practices within school environments, the surrounding community and the communities where they come from 2. The communities around schools and those in villages where students in environmental clubs come from but within Soroti are supporting student initiatives in environmental practices 3. The advocacy and lobby activities for school administrations and local government support have made the local leaders promote sustainable environmental practices within project schools and communities.
Målgrupper
The primary target group 1. Environmental club students The total number of students targeted in this primary target group are 1000. These students are targeted because they have expressed passion for being environmental stewards by joining environmental clubs by choice. As such, the project intends to use this as a basis to grow these student’s passions. The reason for choosing this group is to prepare the next generation for the forthcoming environmental challenges. This particular group is targeted in order to spearhead positive environmental changes starting within their schools and home environments. This target group is expected to at least comprise of 500 female students. 2. Environmental club Patrons This target group is made up of teachers. These teachers have either volunteered or have been chosen by the school administration to lead the environmental clubs. The total number of these teachers are 40. The relevance of targeting these individuals is to carry out training during and after the project. They will ensure that students are fostered to take action on environmental management within schools. They are responsible for ensuring that the skills taught to the students are spread to other students who may not have had the chance to take part in the training. They will promote spread of the project to communities during school times. In a similar way, the patrons will supervise students’ incomes and expenditure resulting from environmental club enterprising. 3 School staff It was learnt from CEIP 1, that school staff have an immense impact on the students. Failure to incorporate them into project planning has previously brought about clashes. This is especially the case with school cleaners who are not aware of the benefits to waste sorting and management. During the holidays when the students have left for holidays, in most of the schools, the staff remain at the school. By involving them, arrangements will be made for them to water the nursery beds when students have left for holidays. The project will target 20 teaching staff members in each school. It will also target 20 non-teaching staff. The non-teaching staff will include school cleaners, school chefs, school gardeners and the school matrons. They will be undertaken through awareness in the 3 thematic areas that is waste management, tree planting and sustainable energy solutions. 4. School administrators The targeted school administrators per school will include the chairperson board of directors, the Head teacher, the Director of Students and a representative from the Parents Teachers Association (PTA). These are the ones that lead the schools in which the intervention will be implemented. Without their involvement, it will be impossible to reach the students. They are being targeted so that they appreciate the role of environmental management within the school environment and the ecosystems around schools, to seek their support for student environmental club members and the students’ activities and to come up with school bye-laws to promote environmental management within their schools. 5. District, Municipal and sub-county leaders For the district, the targeted personnel include the District Chairperson LCV, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, District Environmental Officer, District Education Officer, District Inspector of Schools, District Forestry Officer, District Community Development Officer, District Production Officer and the District Speaker. At the Municipality, the following officers will be made awareness to; the Town Clerk, Deputy Town Clerk, the Municipality Education Officer, the Municipality Inspector of Schools, the Municipality Natural Resource Officer, the Municipality Community Development Officer and the Municipality Speaker. At the sub-county these will be the Sub-county Chief (SAS), Sub-county Environmental Focal Person, Sub-county Education Officer, Sub-county Forestry Officer, Sub-county Community Development Officer, Sub-county Production Officer, and the Sub-county speaker. The relevance of these officers is to enact bye-laws at the district, municipal and sub-county level that favour environmental management within schools. On top of this, they are targeted to work hand in hand with other project target groups to promote student environmental consciousness. 6. Community members These are going to be targeted for their support. These community members include households and shop owners around schools. In day schools, these households could be homes from where students go to school. For boarding schools in instances where students come from Soroti district, the project intends to identify areas of student concentration and make awareness within those villages so that support for students’ activities is increased. The relevance of including community people is for them to financially and mentally support the students in their environmental undertakings. Under the targeted community is the business community. These are included in the intervention for buy-in and uptake of the products resulting from the entrepreneurship activities, e.g. recycled paper/bags.
Resume
The proposed intervention aims to combat environmental degradation and promote sustainable development by fostering students’ environmental consciousness in Soroti district. The intervention takes inspiration from the Clean Environmental Initiative Project (CEIP) and will be implemented in 20 schools. It looks further into the long-term outcomes and presents strategies to address the challenges faced by students after they acquire the environmental skills relating to waste management, tree planting and sustainable energy solutions. The intervention is student centric and will ensure that different stakeholders within their environments join through action and encouragement to foster the skills acquired. For this, the intervention will ensure that advocacy is done to the school administrators, sub-county, municipality and district leaders as well as private business owners to ensure buy-in. As immediate contacts to the students, environmental club patrons will be prepared as trainers for the students.