How UCWA is empowering catholic women to become climate change ambassadors

8 December 2025, 14:12

By Clare Nayebare

The Uganda Catholic Women Association (UCWA) in Fort Portal Diocese is helping women adopt sustainable farming and energy-efficient cooking methods. Through training programmes, members have reduced firewood use with efficient stoves, improving their homes and protecting the environment. The initiative combines spiritual growth with practical skills, as highlighted by a recent gathering of over 1,000 women for the Jubilee Year of Hope.

In a world increasingly affected by climate change, UCWA in Fort Portal Diocese has become a true example of faith in action, promoting not only spiritual development but also strong advocacy for environmental protection.

Through various training sessions, members of UCWA, reached by Jubilee Radio, have embraced sustainable farming practices on their small plots of land, using organic fertilisers to improve and increase their harvests.

Venerando Birungi, a UCWA member from Kanyabacope Parish in Kyenjojo District, narrated how she learned a firewood-saving cooking method that cooks food quickly, allowing it to steam in a short time.
She explained that before joining UCWA, she spent long hours collecting firewood and used large amounts to prepare meals. However, the training introduced her to locally built, energy-efficient cooking stoves that use minimal firewood, reducing pressure on nearby trees and forests.

Birungi testified that her kitchen is now a model of sustainable living, with less smoke, more savings, and improved environmental protection. She added that the stove requires only a few pieces of firewood, which eventually turn into charcoal. This charcoal cooks swiftly, and once ready, food boils as quickly as if using electricity.

According to Birungi, the stoves are not only environmentally friendly but also help women steam their local foods more easily, encouraging healthier eating habits.

Earlier this week, over 1,000 UCWA members in Fort Portal Diocese gathered for a pilgrimage to Virika Cathedral in celebration of the Jubilee Year of Hope. Their participation demonstrated not only spiritual commitment but also socioeconomic readiness for personal development.

In her address, Restetuta Balinda Mboijana, UCWA President for Fort Portal Diocese, noted that women in various parishes have undergone extensive training aimed at both spiritual and economic growth. She highlighted programmes such as environmental protection and expressed gratitude that women in parishes like Bisozi and Biguli are already benefiting from the energy-saving stove initiative. Others have been trained in agroecology-friendly farming techniques, including the use of biochar to enrich the soil.

She encouraged women to remain focused and make the best use of whatever land they have, enriching it with cow dung and biochar to produce enough food for their families and even surplus for sale, thereby boosting their financial independence.

Jane Frances Kamashamba, National UCWA President, appealed to women to lead efforts in environmental protection, describing them as “mothers of nature.” She urged them to plant more trees and noted that the association has already distributed several varieties of fruit trees.

Referring to Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si, Kamashamba also encouraged women to avoid practices that harm the environment, including the careless disposal of plastics, and to ensure such waste is properly collected and discarded.

According to Venerando Birungi, UCWA has also announced new programmes aimed at equipping Catholic women with knowledge on organic nutrition and healthy feeding. She believes these efforts will significantly contribute to reducing the worrying levels of stunting and malnutrition in the region.

Relatedly, the Eastern and Southern Africa Small-Scale Farmers’ Forum (ESAFF) supports practices that enhance agroecology and climate resilience for smallholder farmers.

The organisation promotes the use of biochar because it aligns with organic and climate-smart agriculture. Biochar improves soil fertility, water retention, and crop resilience while sequestering carbon, all of which support sustainable farming.

When made from agricultural residues rather than fresh-cut trees, it reduces waste, prevents land degradation, and enhances smallholder livelihoods, making it both practical and environmentally friendly.