Wildlife & Environmental Club

Ironically, in this area of human enlightment, instead of correcting past mistakes, the human race allover the world seems not to be bothered about the environment. Pollution, deforestation and in some cases total depletion of natural resources and even life supporting systems, is not news today. Some times such practices trigger off catastrophes and in the end we do not put the blame where it belongs; but with no shame, we blame God for the self inflicted pain suffered.

It’s in an attempt to redress the appalling situation of our environment that the school environmetal club was put in place. As a club, we stive to create awareness of the delicate balance between human activities and mother Earth – our land, with hope to change attitude and encourage responsible behaviour that respects nature.

This does not suggest that all those who destroy the environment are ignorant of the consequences of their actions. But there are many who urgently need and can benefit from environmental education which can later be useful allies in the environmental protection crusade. It is such individuals and groups we seek to serve.

At Iganga High School, the Wildlife and Environmental Club has began on sensitising the community on the need for environmental protection.

In 2007, we registered the club with the Wildlife Club of Uganda. We are now part of a big family with common aspirations and this gives us the encouragement and confidence to keep moving forward.

The club activities include among others:

• Nature activities like tree planting and labelling, setting up botanical gardens, tree nurseries, monitoring wildlife and environmental abuse.
• Informative activities like establishing environmental education notice board, news letters, club library, club museum, organizing lectures, film shows, debates, quiz and many others.

So far, the club has embarked on ornamentation of the school compound with trees and flowers and sensitization of the students to become ambassadors of environmental conservation.

Being an urban school with a dense population in a limited space, garbage disposal is one of the challenges. We have embarked on a garbage collection campaign by recycling old plastic jeri cans and using them as garbage bins. These are strategically located on the school compound for the users. We hope to do a lot by reaching out to the community and networking with sister schools and related organisations.

With collective effort and corrective responsible actions, we can restore the beauty of mother Earth and save her from further degradation. What has to be clearly emphasised is that environment is every body’s concern. The question that needs everyone’s answer is: Have you played your role? The right time is now.