Introduction

Over the years Uganda has experienced drastic climatic changes from regular rainy and dry seasons to unpredictable seasonal changes. Most of Uganda’s population especially the rural vulnerable and poor depend on agriculture for a living. Uganda is highly vulnerable to climate change and variability - its economy and the wellbeing of its people are tightly bound to climate. Human induced climate change is likely to increase average temperatures in Uganda by up to 1.5 ºC in the next 20 years and by up to 4.3 ºC by the 2080s.

Uganda's policy of rapid industrialization and growth in the recent years has been realized with poor resource efficiency that results in environmental problems. The Uganda government's failure to regulate big carbon-emitting businesses inflates the country's contribution to climate change.

With the drastic and unpredictable weather patterns, it is very challenging for the rural and smallholder farmers to achieve food and income security as agriculture is predominantly dependent on rain. There is limited capacity of the majority of Ugandan farmers to engage in climate that depend on agroecological practices. This therefore reduces agricultural productivity owing to climate change. Climate change has also increased, pests such as locusts, Fall Army Worms (FAW) and crop and animal diseases.

Financing climate change adaptation practices and investments in agriculture sector with the aim of increased resilience of smallholder farmers are complex and not easily accessible for indigenous organizations. Yet, global warming is alarmingly on the rise. Adaptive capacity of countries are compromised, even when the priority is to remove carbon from the atmosphere and attain net zero emission, multinationals grab land from poor indigenous people to establish large scale afforestation projects for carbon removal projects. This comes at the expense of farmers rights.

Bunyoro Women Environmental Protection and Conservation Initiative

Bunyoro Women Environmental Protection and Conservation Initiatives is a Non-Governmental Organisation that provides a forum through which Women and Youth in Bunyoro region focus on environmental protection and conservation related activities, mobilise themselves and have a common platform and space towards Community empowerment to equitably benefit from the existing greening initiative opportunities in the region.

Bunyoro Women Environmental Protection and Conservation Initiative continues to pride in being well positioned in Bunyoro especially Masindi District as one of the Lead Non-Governmental organisation to which many potential funders and Civil Society Organisations would wish to work with. It is under this back ground that Bunyoro Women environmental protection and conservation Initiative envisages to support Youth and Women through Skilling and Empowering them towards combating the current trends on environmental degradation characterized by high rates of tree cover depletion for charcoal burning and timber, poor climate change, plastic pollution in Masindi and the entire Bunyoro region .

Conscious of the continued environmental degradation effects coupled with increasing risk of climate change with all its adverse effects; Bunyoro Women environmental protection and conservation Initiative found it necessary to train 35 youth and women in environmental protection and conservation to seek redress.

Problem Statement

In the awake of Charcoal burning businesses for fuel, timber and increasing use of plastic packed consumable materials, tree cover depletion and waste disposal as well as littering continues to alarmingly define the way of life of most communities in Masindi and Bunyoro Region.

Consequently this has come with diverse challenges to communities, ranging from women walking long distances to look for firewood , demolition of herbal medicine tree spices, worry to health of mothers and children due to indoor air pollution, school dropouts of the girl child as many leave early every day to go and look for fire wood and end up being raped.

Currently cases of suffocation by some households are on the rise with the most recent one in Masindi Municipality where a woman and children were saved at a point of death not to mention the loss of many Green Jobs at the expense of short term charcoal business.

Bunyoro Women environmental protection and conservation Initiative comes very timely to address the situation by training and empowering 35 youth and women leaders in Bunyoro Region, particularly Hoima District.

Objectives of the training

  1. To enhance the capacity of women group leaders as a women movement in the Bunyoro in understanding environmental degradation as one of the contributing factors to the climate impacts.
  2. To equip the women leaders with the existing legal frame works that enhance environmental protection including the dissemination of the climate change and environmental laws that can support women and youth movements during advocacy and influencing.
  3. To strengthen women leaders’ capacity in environmental and climate change advocacy and public litigation to save the environment.
  4. To come up with clear mechanisms and frameworks for the protection of fragile ecosystems in Uganda

Expected Out Comes

  1. 35 Youth and Women equipped with knowledge on climate change and it adaptation and mitigation approaches.
  2. An Environmental protection and conservation action plan for Bunyoro region formulated with commitment from the district women and youth leaders.
  3. Alternative environmental friendly energy technology gaps identified and solutions devised.
  4. Implementable action plan for the protection of fragile ecosystems.

Targeted Participants

The training will focus on 15 youth and 20 women

Experience and qualifications

Oxfam is looking for a suitably qualified and experienced consultant with capacity to undertake the above activity.

Essential qualifications and competences of the lead consultants should include:

  • A Post Graduate degree in a relevant field with a bias in environmental law.
  • Thorough understanding of climate change and its contributing factors with clear adaptation and mitigation measures.
  • Knowledge in environmental public litigation and policy advocacy.
  • Significant experience in training on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Excellent facilitation and report writing skills
  • Cultural sensitivity
  • Knowledge and experience in gender and women’s rights issues.
  • Experience with Oxfam work is an added advantage.

Expected Deliverables

  1. Pre- training assessment tools
  2. Training curriculum for the 5 days of the training
  3. A training report highlighting action plans generated by the women groups.

Submission and deadline

Interested consultants should submit their Proposals, both narrative and financial by the 4th July 2022 to Oxfam Logistics – ugandalogistics@oxfam.org

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