In Uganda’s western region, the students of Immaculate Heart Girls’ School Nyakibale in Rukungiri district have long been driven by a commitment to “aim higher.” This guiding principle has been at the heart of the school since its founding on March 8, 1969, as generations of students have passed through the gates of this Roman Catholic institution with a shared dedication to excellence.
Given this enduring pursuit of greatness, it is no surprise that Immaculate Heart Girls’ School is a leader in the Green Schools Initiative, a program focused on addressing climate change through adaptation and mitigation efforts. Launched in 2023, the Green Schools Initiative aims to inspire young minds to take action against climate change by implementing practical solutions.
Now in its second year, the initiative is spearheaded by the multimedia company Vision Group in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and supported by funding from the Embassy of Sweden in Uganda. The program is centered around two key activities: debate and innovative projects addressing climate change.
In mid-July this year, evaluation teams visited five selected schools in each of the 10 regions of Uganda to assess their climate action projects. Under the theme “innovations that work,” the best practical projects will be awarded at the national championship in Kampala later this month, where the top debating schools will also be recognized.
Having secured a spot among the top six schools for their climate change project in the inaugural competition last year, the students of Immaculate Heart Girls’ School are well-acquainted with what it takes to be among the best.
On the morning of July 26 (just over two weeks ago), the evaluation team visited the school to check what the school has done with its sh5 million prize money.
The team was led by the Green Schools Initiative coordinator, Sidney Miria (also the head of special projects at New Vision), Dr Emmanuel Zziwa, the national team lead for the climate change programme for FAO, and Agatha Ayebazibwe, FAO’s national communications officer.
The evaluators included Annet Namuli from FAO, Faith Kwikiriza and Robert Kigongo, accompanied by a media team from New Vision.
Headmistress Sr Gladyce Kachope (below, left) greeted the visiting team, before being taken on a guided tour by the school’s Green Schools Initiative coordinator Richard Begura (second from left in the picture).
The school is headed by the Sisters of Our Lady of Good Counsel and is a Government-aided institution offering both Ordinary and Advanced level classes.
Visitors arriving at the school will not miss the important message on conservation courtesy of the school’s Wildlife Club:
❝Conserve the environment for future generations.
From the evidence of what they had to show the evaluation team, the students of IMMAC (acronym for the school) have exhibited an appreciation for the need to conserve the environment.
For instance, they have made a variety of items using waste materials such as plastics, polythene bags — as well as broken glass.
From beautifully ornated decorative items to neatly done pencil holders and glistening flower pots, these students have tapped into their creativeness and innovation to reuse or repurpose non-biodegradable materials into useful stuff.
Plastics are ubiquitous in our lives and as such, they are discarded in huge amounts, creating a huge problem for the environment and its life, including human beings.
According to the UN’s environment agency UNEP, every year, more than 280 million tonnes of short-lived plastic products become waste.
Unlike other materials, plastic does not biodegrade. It can take up to 1,000 years to break down, so when it is discarded, it builds up in the environment until it reaches a crisis point.
According to UNEP, this pollution chokes marine wildlife, damages soil and poisons groundwater, and can cause serious health impacts.
With this in mind, recycling plastics and other non-biodegradable waste is important.
IMMAC students have made trash bins using discarded plastic bottles — a visible reminder of the need to keep the environment clean and safe.
The students’ creativity has also seen them make brooms using plastics.
Furthermore, the inventive students of IMMAC have stretched their imagination to good measure by weaving this volleyball net (below) using polythene bags.
And in the video below, the students can be seen trying out the fruits of their creativity using a ball also made of discarded polythene bags.
The net holds up really good.
Just like their school motto Excelsior (Latin) urges them to aim ‘higher’, the students of IMMAC have elevated their innovativeness in the context of climate change action.
For instance, they used part of their prize money from last year to build a distinctive, airy ‘Plastics House’ using plastics and polythene on the fringes of the school premises as an epitome of environmental conservation.
Standing with arty distinction and character, the facility has ornamental features of plastic bottles, dangling CDs and fluttering polythene bags.
It is considered a place “where anyone can come and have peace of mind”.
The school also used part of their prize money to build a hair saloon to prevent the littering of human hair.
Hair, an organic material, is discarded in large amounts every day. Most of hair waste ends up in landfills and incinerators, where it can release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.
But in some places around the world, people have been collecting hair and working out innovative ways to recycle it.
Some weave it into items such as mats while others liquidize it for use as a fertilizer.
Meanwhile, in efforts aimed at raising awareness on the need to protect the environment, IMMAC students showcased different attire made of waste polythene during the school’s Miss Environment Pageant.
The students of IMMAC are also using songs to raise more awareness on environmental protection.
On the day of the evaluation visit, the Beauty Queens of IMMAC — including Miss Environment — emerged wearing their tiaras and set for presentation.
They presented a dance titled Champions from Africa, illustrating the beauty of the African culture — and by extension, the need to safeguard it.
The students are also actively engaged in the activities on the school farm, where a variety of crops are grown and animals reared.
Making of vases, pots and pavers is also part of the skills armory of the IMMAC students.
The school is building a bigger incinerator to burn waste material, including sanitary pads.
❝The Cry of Mother Earth
Gender Atwiine, the chairperson of the IMMAC School Council, presented a poem titled: The Cry of Mother Earth.
At the conclusion of the evaluation visit, school leader Annet K. delivered a message of thanks to the Green Schools Initiative for inspiring them to play a leading role in the conservation of the environment.
