Category: Advocacy & Environment

Kupitia idara ya mazingira YPM iko katika harakati za kuandaa kitalu cha miti mbali mbali ambayo itasaidia katika utunzaji wa mazingira siku za usoni.Pia katika maandalizi ya kuelekea siku ya maadhimisho ya  miaka 5 ya YPM, Shirika litatoa miti kwa wana-VICOBA pamoja na kupanda miti hiyo sehemu mbalimbali wilayani Lushoto.

YPM through its environment and advocacy program is now preparing tree nursery. YPM expect to have more than three hundreds thousands of trees. The trees are of different species and will be distributed to the community during the celebration of 5 years of establishment of the organization.

The environment program done by Youth Peace Makers Tanzania in various ways aim to lobby and mobilize people on the aspect of environmental preservation and protection to help the society. The program is implemented through forming groups in Secondary and Primary Schools and also through the advocacy on policy change.
Youth Peace Makers has more than 25 Clubs in Lushoto District, Mkinga District and Handeni District. We conduct training on protection of their environment through planting trees around the schools and homes and distribute seeds for the clubs to make tree nursery in their schools. Whereby now they are able to plant trees around the schools’ environment and some of trees are distributed to students to plant them in their home. School environmental teachers who are working voluntary with the organization are making follow up of trees distributed to students but also the organization in 2017 during the environmental day we distributed 1,500,000 trees in secondary and Primary schools.
The organization conducted Breakfast meeting, that is, the meeting involving the duty bearer and right holder. In one of these meetings the discussion was about environmental destruction and the by-laws that are to be adhered in Lushoto. The speakers were from one organization that is also dealing with environment and the Environment Executive officer in Lushoto and other stakeholders from small businesses and the representatives of Non-Governmental organizations.
After the meeting the task force was formed to make the follow-up on the resolutions made in that meeting. One of the big issues was the construction of the market where perviously people were putting goods on the ground that was dangerous to the people’s health, now the market is built and most of people in Lushoto and all areas around Lushoto who are using the same market to buy and sell goods are in good condition. Also the task force makes follow-up on the implementation of Lushoto by-laws on the environment to ensure that they are strictly followed in order to make sure that the environment around Lushoto and other places around Lushoto are clean. Therefore through the public performance and peaceful demonstrations the society/community was educated to adhere to the laws on environment. Now there is great change on the environment in Lushoto District.

The competition involves Secondary students from O-level and A-level Schools around the Lushoto District.
On 13th May 2017 O- level students started their competition and we look forward to start the competition for A-level students early July. On this first round it involved 10 schools and they were divided into two groups. Motion for first group was “Can environment protection lead to eradication of poverty?”.
The second motion was “Is there sufficient involvement of youth on environment in Tanzania?” . The model used was PDF. After this round we remain with 5 schools and the second round will be early July after the school vocation. The program intends to raise awareness and thus contribute towards the S2C on SDG goals no. 1, 4, 13, 15 and 17.

INTRODUCTION

Irente Primary school, which specializes in offering primary education in an inclusive setting. The school is located in the Irente village, about 3.5 km from Lushoto town. The school embraces children with different types of disabilities , ranging from those with eye defects including short sightedness and long sightedness  problems, albinos, and others.  They have the privilege of receiving this education here, in the fact that it could be hard for them to get this education from their natural settings (home) due to various restrains surrounding them. Irente school has a favourable environment which provide a unique atmosphere for students to do their activities including learning.

                              Together with headmistress madam Celina Magambo, and representative from SEKOMU and John Kunguru from YOUTH PEACE MAKERS

Objectives

Understanding the role of environment awareness in the grass root level, we aimed at ensuring that the target group at this school( standard V-VII ) are well equipped with necessary knowledge of climate Change and environment pollution in general.

Activity

We started the session at 02:20 pm when a school environmental teacher Mr. Nziku introduced us to the class of 23 students comprising standard V-VII, then allow us to continue. Jackson Mboya was the first one where he started by asking the students the different between climate  and weather, due to the satisfying answers he proceed by asking them again to give the meaning of climate change, the students showed to know not the concept of climate change so he start to elaborate the meaning of climate change, the causes of climate change both natural and anthropogenic, the effects and the way forward towards climate change mitigation. He also demonstrated how greenhouse gases contributes to the climate change, making use of blanket in our homes as an analogy of greenhouse  gases. He winded up by welcoming  Brayson Atupele to proceed.

He started by asking the students whom they wish to become when they grown up, most of the students they stated different carriers which they wish to become, then he told them that in order for them to meet their dreams they have to know their responsibilities on conserving their environment and become responsible in environmental caring, then he proceed to explain the meaning of environment, elements of environment, giving the meaning of environmental pollution, pollutants and the forms of environmental pollution on which he spent a lot of time to explain land pollution, air pollution and water pollution. Then he mention different pollutants like plastics wastes, used car tyres, broken glasses, and waste waters and he gave their harmful effects on the environment. Lastly  he told the students what are the common mistakes done in our environment such as improper waste disposal, inappropriate waste burning, and irresponsible behaviour of most people concerning the environmental caring; and he suggested waste reduction at the source, reuse and recycling, and proper waste disposal as the techniques toward environmental pollution  prevention and control.

We end the session at 03:50pm and left the school.

Outcome/ output

At the end of the session the students showed a good understanding as this has proven through the questions that were asked for about 15 minutes, the students actively participate on answering those questions. On of the question that was the last one to be asked was “who is responsible on environmental caring and conservation”? Where by almost all students in class raised up their hands  so that they can answer it, but Richard Juma a student of standard V was selected to answer it, he answered that “every person is responsible in conserving the environment even those with disabilities they can play their part through different means like writing books, articles about environment caring”. Then we were satisfied with their responses.

Recommendation

Irente rainbow primary school has taken a step ahead in conserving their surrounding environment compare to other schools, as can be witnessed by different flora and fauna composition in the school environment. It is thus in   the light of this statement,  where efforts need to be put in place in

capacity building to the students of all level in addressing the key issues of environment pollution  so that they can become good ambassadors of environment in the society.