World press day : Ankole newsrooms close to save the environment

Journalists from different newsrooms in Ankole braved a drizzling day on Thursday (May 2) in a united move to join the global campaign to end climate change.

The journalists planted over 250 trees around schools and institutions in Mbarara city divisions.

The exercise was part of the activities journalists organized in preparations to celebrate the World Press Day.

This year’s World Press Day marked on May 3rd is anchored on the environmental crisis under the theme “Journalism in the face of the environmental crisis”. Journalists also participated in collecting plastic bottles and polythene papers in Kijungu and Kisenyi, one of the suburbs of Mbarara city South division. 

The celebrations climaxed with a mass held on Friday at Uganda Martyrs Catholic Church led by Rev Fr Dr Severinus Ndugwa the Vicar General Mbarara Archdiocese and later will gather at Penipal Gardens for a luncheon. 

 Rev Dr.Deusdedit Karemire- the Vice Chancellor University of Saint Joseph Mbarara, one of the institutions where journalists planted trees, hailed the gesture journalists exhibited in taking action to save the environment and used the same platform to urge all Ugandans to emulate the practice and plant trees in their localities.

Tumuhirwe Fredrick- the headteacher of Uganda Martyrs Primary School- one of the primary schools where journalists also planted several trees hailed the decision of journalists to plant trees in schools saying this is a good gesture as young children will grow up knowing the benefits of planting trees and protecting the environment.

Felix Ainebyona from Nation Media- the spokesperson of this year’s organizing committee, said this year’s activities were meant to send a message to the general public that a lot is needed to take care of the environment by doing proper disposal of plastics and polyethene papers and planting trees.

“The environment crisis is huge and as journalists we have experienced the effects we need to show the world by walking the talk of what we have been writing about the environment and we want to make people fear destroying the environment,”Ainebyona added. 

Bridget Kansiime- from Radio West said this should be a beginning for bigger projects ahead as journalists rally the communities around them to embark on protecting the environment. Joan Najuma- from Vision Group challenged all other organizations in Uganda to emulate what journalists in Ankole have done.

Edson Kinene- a journalist with Uganda Radio Network- used the platform to call up all stakeholders in all districts across the country to go beyond talking and take action by encouraging Ugandans to plant trees and stop encroaching on wetlands.

“We have done this as an activity for our day but with an aim to address the effects of climate change beyond writing stories in the newsroom we wanted to show the world that we can be a solution,” Kinene stated.

Elly Akiza- a news reporter with TV West- hailed the gesture journalists exhibited showing that they are cooperative with the community who are the sources they interact with on a daily.

Alex Mugasha from NBS challenged all journalists across the globe to take part in taking action by promoting all activities targeting the preservation of the environment, saying the current weather variation calls for combined intervention.