Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni will sometimes host a party or, occasionally, accept an invitation to one. Rarely does he gatecrash an event. A soldier, Museveni never breaches protocol, and he has always stuck to that principle. Until last year, when he did something unexpected: He gatecrashed a children’s party in Kampala. The president was flying into Kololo airstrip from Adjumani in northern Uganda when he spotted thousands of children gathered at the historic field for a festival dubbed The Green Festival.
The president, being a politician, could be forgiven for wanting to address such a crowd, in spite of their age. After landing, he sent his aides to inform the event’s organizers that he wanted to speak to the children. The bash was organized in conjunction with the Little Hands Go Green, a charity conservation initiative that, besides promoting tree planting, annually celebrates children’s talents.
And so, without sending a card, the Little Hands Go Green hosted the president to their annual party. President Museveni’s message to the children was concise: Stay in school, study hard, avoid bad company and obey your parents. The president’s appearance at the children’s event was significant, especially at the place where the Ugandan state was born, so to speak.
It was here that the British lowered the Union Jack on October 9, 1962 to pave the way for the black, yellow and red flag bearing the majestic crested crane. When the president and his handlers left, the children went back to the business of the day: Dancing, fashion shows, swimming, horse riding, carousel and other fun activities. Branded the Green Army, the children were brought together by Joseph Masembe, a lawyer marketer whose passion for the environment far outweighs his love for the law and business, to plant trees to counter the negative effects of climate change.
The children from primary schools across the country, have taken up the initiative to turn Uganda green under the stewardship of Masembe, who believes in the adage, “A wise man plants a tree whose shade he knows he will never sit under.” The commander of the Green Army is fondly referred to as the Superstar General. His 80,000-strong Little Hands Go Green movement comprises children aged under 13 from all over the country.
Masembe, who has run the initiative since May 2012 has three passions: Children, environment and marketing. He has infused the three in the movement that is promising a future for Uganda and the world at large.
The Little Hands Green festival is a must-go for children because it is nonstop fanfare fun with a purpose. they recite environment poems, dance and take part in other activities. They pay for entry and Masembe uses the proceeds to finance the movement’s activities. At this year’s festival on September 1, besides the usual bouncing castles, swimming, cycling and other activities, Masembe introduced a new item — wild animals.
There was a lion, a leopard and a python, a crested crane, a cheetah, an ostrich and a peacock. The aim was to teach the little ones that care for the environment also leads to the care of animals. “No trees, no people, no animals,” he said. During the party, estimated to have cost Ush70 million ($27,000), new members are registered and issued with identity cards with a promise to be tree-planting ambassadors in their neighborhoods. The National Forests Authority provides him with the seedlings and he hires trucks to distribute them to the children with the help of the National Council for Children. But that is not all Mr. Masembe does with the children.
He also helps to identify talents. On May 5, for instance, Masembe hosted a talent search at the Hotel Africana People’s Space grounds. The fairytale Children, parents and teachers lined the Wampewo Avenue all the way to the hotel. About 18,000 children turned up for the contest, and the winners received tickets to the fairytale Disneyland Park in California, US.
There were various categories to be contested. Havilah Mirembe, 11, won the Spelling Bee, scoring 20 marks out of 20 while Daniella Uwase, 8, emerged the top model. Leon Nsita, 8, was chosen for his piano-playing skills. 2/10/2019 Uganda’s Green Army – The East African https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/magazine/Uganda-green-revolution/434746-1999220-fm8evoz/index.html 4/5 “My Kid is a Superstar, as the name suggests, is about recognizing the superstar in our children,” Mr. Masembe explained. “The little things we have done in environmental conservation are making them realize that we cannot outsource shade and rain.” The initiative in planting trees, he said, should not be left to governments, NGOs and foreign donors. “We shall not worry about the environment if we raise a generation that believes strongly that trees should not be cut,” he said.
Masembe founded Little Hands Go Green to promote children’s talents but it has blossomed into one of the most pragmatic approaches to afforestation in the country. Last December, Masembe attended a climate change conference in Doha, Qatar, which he said added impetus to his environmental campaign. He returned with his mind focused on breaking down the environmental issues so they make sense to children. “Plant a tree in your backyard,” he tells children, parents and teachers in the schools he visits. About 120 primary schools in Uganda have taken up the initiative and their projects are going well. “When children plant trees in every class they are promoted to, it makes seven trees at the end of primary school. This serves as a constant reminder to them that as they grow, so are their trees growing.” As Taban Yasin, the chairman of Yumbe district on the border with South Sudan, says, “A child’s mind is like wet cement, what you write on it is permanent.” Masembe chose to put tree planting in the minds of the young ones, and many, including President Museveni, want to be part of the success story..
Credit: The East African, Mike Segawa
