The inspirational women that I have chosen is called Leah Namugerwa. She is considered Ugandan’s Greta Thunberg. Originally from the Mukono district, she is initially helpless and sorry for the deforestation of her region due to the expansion of Kampala, the neighboring Ugandan capital. Then inspired by the Swedish initiator of the Fridays For Future movement, she, in turn, launched out at the age of 14 in a fight for the planet. Therefore, she organized her first demonstration for the defense of the environment on a Friday in February, in a suburb of Kampala. “People have criticized me. They say that at my age, on Friday, I should be in class and not on the streets to go on strike, says the teenager. It’s good that my parents told me supported and encouraged “. Leah’s father, who runs a building supplies company, accompanies him regularly for his weekly service.
When the young Ugandan Leah Namugerwa turned 15 in August, instead of celebrating her birthday with her family and friends, she decided to plant 200 trees, to warn of the damage caused to the environment in her country. Juggling between school, demonstrations, speeches she gives in the capitals of the region to call to save the planet, she is one of those young people inspired by the now-famous Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, aged 16. Leah is behind a campaign to encourage the city of Kampala to ban the use of plastic bags and to warn of the risks of deforestation and the prolonged droughts and floods attributed to climate change.
Namugerwa has been a witness to many of the negative effects that climate change has led to. Her country, like many others in Africa, is at risk of desertification – that means fertile farming land turning dry and barren. Experts say it’s caused by droughts and raised temperatures – two factors linked to climate change which is affecting Ugandan people in all aspects of life. Moreover, according to Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the problems are accumulating :
Droughts collectively affected 2.4 million people from 2004 to 2013. Moreover, between 2010 and 2011, droughts caused an estimated damage value of about $1.2 billion. That’s equivalent to roughly 7.5% of Uganda’s GDP in 2010.
Besides, climate change will lead to a 1.5-degree increase in Uganda’s average temperature by 2030. With the increasing temperature, Uganda is susceptible to environmental degradation, which has already begun. Furthermore, all these factors are causing the agricultural sector of Uganda to falter.
To be inspiring is to bring something to others through your life, your daily life, your goals, your motivation or your personality. Mostly someone who has achieved something extraordinary. Someone inspiring knows how to sublimate themselves and make the best of themselves to prove to everyone that what was claimed to be impossible, was well achievable. Inspirational people have shown that if you believe in your ideas and your dreams, whatever the obstacle, it is possible. I believe that Leah Namurgeva is an inspiration because of how she has demonstrated how much of an impact one individual can have in our world and how she had also opened the eyes of many young Ugandans to the environmental crises in Uganda, which shows how much of an inspiration she is.
“Before, the message on climate and environment was not clear to some of us, but Leah simplified it for us, telling us that it is real and that it is a danger for all of us. . “- Jérome Mukasa, 15, one of the young people who joined her in her fight.
Striking every Friday for greater action on climate change and plastic pollution is inspirational!
Striking every Friday for greater action on climate change and plastic pollution is inspirational !
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