Job Brian Ocen, 24, wakes up early each morning and gets ready for his day. Living in Omwonyogweno Village, Abunga Parish, Amugu Sub-county in Alebtong District, Ocen’s first task of the day is to weed maize in the garden, about two kilometres away. After a few hours of digging, he returns home, exhausted though fulfilled. Ocen rests for a short while, enjoying a simple breakfast of porridge and boiled cassava. But his day is far from over. He has another important task ahead of him- sensitising his community about climate change.
Just like hundreds of energetic youth in Amugo and Abako sub-counties, all in Alebtong District, Ocen is passionate about environmental conservation.
They were trained by a local non-governmental organisation, Change Lead Agency Social Support (CLASS), to educate their community on the impacts of climate change. With a backpack full of informational materials, Ocen sets off on his door-to-door campaign. He walks through the village, greeting his neighbours and friends, and sharing his knowledge about climate change. He explains how rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events are affecting their crops, livestock, and overall livelihoods.
‘I start moving door-to-door beginning at 10am up to 6pm from Monday to Saturday, covering on average 10 households. I sensitise people on the dangers of wetland encroachment and bush burning,’ says Ocen. His message resonates with many in the community, who have already begun to experience the effects of climate change first-hand. Alebtong and Otuke have experienced the worst flooding in decades that has left a trail of destruction and despair in the two northern Uganda districts. Data from Alebtong Disaster Management Committee, for instance, shows that at least 66 grass-thatched huts, one semi-permanent house, and five toilets have collapsed.
A total of 2,591 acres of cassava, 2,210 acres of simsim, 566 acres of groundnuts, and 798 acres of maize have been destroyed by the floods triggered by both human-induced and natural factors. This climatic disaster has affected 3,978 households (715 in Adwir, 672 in Okomo, 706 in Alololo, and 796 in Ocokober parishes in Adwir Sub-county; 310 households in Baya and 291 in Oculokori parishes in Omoro Sub-county; 185 households in Amuria, and 162 households in Anara, and 141 in Alebtong parishes in Aloi Sub-county).
Human-induced causes
The Alebtong Disaster Management Committee blames the situation on unregulated charcoal burning, which has led to the removal of trees. This practice reduces the land’s ability to absorb water, increasing surface runoff and flood risk. Other contributing factors include poor agricultural practices such as over-grazing, and cultivation on steep slopes, leading to soil erosion and increased runoff and silting of River Moroto. Destruction of wetlands in the affected areas has reduced the land’s capacity to hold water, leading to flooding, according to Mr Franco Olaboro, the chief administrative officer of Alebtong, who is also the Disaster Management Committee chairperson.
In the face of climate change, youth in flood and drought-prone areas are rising to the challenge, adapting and innovating to protect their communities.
Mr Moses Omara, the executive director of Change Lead Agency Social Support – a youth-focused organisation – says for the last 10 years, the people of Alebtong District have been experiencing extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts and floods. Nonetheless, the organisation in partnership with the sub-county authorities in Amugu and Abako came up with both mitigation and adaptation approaches to fight climate change.
‘So, looking at some of those effects, we had to intervene. One, to focus on adaptation mechanisms. Here we built the resilience of our communities to survive in the face of climate change,’ Mr Omara explains. ‘Secondly, we also came up with intervention in the areas of mitigating the effects of climate change so that in the near future we don’t see it continue to happen like this. We want to do something to reduce the effects of climate change.’ CLASS has trained about 500 young people on climate change adaptation and mitigation through its community youth-friendly structures.
Adaptation strategies
‘And then we’ve trained other members of the community on the causes of climate change. This is because there are some other members of the community who even still believe that climate change is a result of God’s anger. They don’t think it is man’s actions or inactions that are now resulting in some of this,’ says Mr Omara.
‘So, we have designed messages that let them understand that climate change is caused. So another activity that we brought on board is climate advocacy,’ he adds. A structure called the Youth Climate Activists has also been formulated to help create awareness, but also collect issues regarding climate change among the young people.
The young people often bring these issues to the attention of duty bearers to address them. Mr Omara says they have also started encouraging community members to take coping strategies. ‘We want fewer trees to be cut down and if these trees are cut, there should be a replacement. For example, if one tree is cut at least 10 should be planted,’ says Mr Omara. Nancy Atim, a 22-year-old youth climate activist in Akulaum Village, Abongatin Parish in Amugu Sub-county, says they have reached out to different people with information about climate change.
According to Atim, many people have formed themselves into Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), where they are able to save and borrow from those saving groups to meet their needs. Oryemcan Group in Abongatin Parish has 90 members, including Atim. ‘On February 18, 2025, I borrowed Shs200,000 from the group, which I invested part of in farming. In the first season, I harvested my sunflower, sold it and fetched Shs280,000. During this second season, I may get close to Shs1 million if all goes well,’ says Atim. Mr David Ojom, the chairperson of Amugu Sub-county, says local leaders are also continuously creating more awareness about bad farming practices, further asking the locals to desist from encroaching on protected ecosystems: wetlands and riverbanks.
‘So, we are also seeing some of the community members responding by making sure that they participate in the protection of the wetlands. This means they’re getting the messages. Then we are also seeing young people getting much more interested in polishing their skills, looking for information on climate change,’ says Mr Ojom. Whenever the Department of Meteorological Services under the Ministry of Water and Environment releases a calendar for a particular month, young people in Alebtong share this information among themselves through various social media platforms. ‘When the meteorological department has released a calendar on some of the early warning signs, we share this information with other people so that they get to prepare for the disaster and how they can mitigate the risks,’ says Mr Ocen.
Challenges
As they are implementing these interventions, young people are also faced with some challenges. For instance, there is limited information on the causes and benefits of climate actions and impacts. There are also limited climate strategies coupled with lack of access to technical resources that would have been part of a coordinated effort to address climate change. In the whole of Alebtong District, climate change experts are not in the villages. In most cases, these experts are only stationed in the neighbouring Lira City or Kampala yet they are needed most in these communities.
Youth Climate Action in Alebtong
500 youth trained by CLASS NGO on climate adaptation and mitigation.
Door-to-door sensitisation campaigns reaching 10 households daily.
Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) supporting climate resilience.
Tree planting to replace those cut for charcoal.
Promotion of energy-saving stoves to reduce deforestation.