On the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis, Ugandan Activists Find Solutions Beyond the Injustice
In Uganda, climate change isn’t a distant threat; it’s an immediate crisis. Communities across the country, from bustling Kampala to rural Jinja, are feeling its effects – erratic rainfall, droughts, and devastating landslides. At the forefront of the response are women and girls in all their diversity, pioneering solutions in agriculture, water management, and community education.
The Champions for Equality in Uganda
Last year, a group of Global Fund for Women Champions for Equality partners traveled to Uganda to meet with these very leaders. Champions for Equality is a unique, three-year initiative that brings together global advocates, activists, and philanthropists committed to advancing gender and climate justice.
As part of the program, Champions have the powerful opportunity to engage deeply with grassroots feminist movements—and, more importantly, to turn that learning into action. They are not just informed, but activated: sharing stories, building solidarity, and becoming donor partners who help sustain and amplify the work of gender justice movements on the frontlines. In Uganda, the Champions witnessed firsthand the impact of flexible funding, learning from the very leaders who are using it to drive real, community-led change.
In Jinja, the first stop was a visit to a women’s cooperative where sustainable agriculture practices are transforming communities. Up to 70% of Uganda’s farming workforce is female—but most are unable to own the land they work on due to patriarchal norms. These unequal property rights hold back their earnings, while climate change makes access to resources like water even more precarious. Global Fund for Women's grantee partner Girls for Climate Action (G4CA) is helping to address these inequalities by securing plots of land which women cultivate collectively - employing sustainable farming methods, providing food for their families and generate income, in a changing climate.
Feminist Leadership and the Intersections of Climate Justice
Global Fund for Women’s partner, Global Rights Alert (GRA), also led the Champions through Murchison Falls National Park to observe an oil drilling operation that raises urgent questions about the intersection of economic, environmental, and climate justice. While Uganda’s growing oil industry is seen as a potential economic boost, the environmental impact and emissions pose significant concerns. Local activists are asking a critical question: Is it worth it?
Championing climate justice means tackling complex questions without clear-cut answers. It means exploring the intersections of poverty, economic opportunity, and environmental preservation—issues that are particularly pressing in countries like Uganda. It means grappling with the realization that for some communities, poverty is as pervasive a threat as climate change.
"Poverty often feels like a more urgent challenge than climate change for communities in the Global South. This perspective underscores the need for climate justice efforts that acknowledge both immediate and long-term challenges.”
– Global Rights Alert
In Chikube, deep within the Bugoma Forest, the Champions met women trained by Global Rights Alert to make eco-friendly briquettes from waste materials, reducing the need for charcoal and decreasing air pollution. These briquettes are a practical solution rooted in local knowledge, making an everyday difference by reducing smoke inhalation, and keeping clothes and cooking utensils cleaner, thereby requiring less water for washing.
Women impacted by the East African Crude Oil Pipeline also shared their stories of how the pipeline, which cuts across Uganda and Tanzania to reach Kenyan ports, have disrupted their lives and livelihoods. Families and farmers have been displaced by this pipeline, and GRA is fighting to ensure they receive fair compensation and justice. In areas like Kampala, young artists from the Eco Art initiative also showcased their work, using materials like plastic and electronic waste to create art that speaks to conservation and climate justice. Their work and stories resonated as messages of hope for the future of climate action in Uganda, and transformative power of youth to create more climate just societies.
THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW
“Joining Champions has been life-changing. Every trip we’ve taken has deepened my commitment to feminist philanthropy. I’ve been blown away by the women we’ve met, their complete command of the needs of their community, and their steely determination to achieve a better future. These are the people we need to fund to make real change. And Global Fund for Women has the deep networks to find, connect, and fund them.”
– Carey Jones, Champions for Equality Cohorts I and II
Funding and Trusting Locally-led Solutions
Uganda marked the third and final stop on the Champions for Equality's climate justice journey, following visits to the Pacific and the Caribbean. The visit highlighted a crucial, complex question: how should countries address poverty while facing the climate crisis?
By listening to the experiences and strategies of Ugandan women and grassroots leaders, the Champions came away with a renewed commitment to carry this knowledge forward—sharing what they witnessed, shifting their own philanthropic practices, and calling others in to fund differently and prioritize local, feminist, climate-just solutions. Through this journey, they reaffirmed their commitment to a philanthropy that supports those most impacted by the climate crisis, pushing for a future where gender justice and climate justice go hand and hand.
"We appreciate that the Champions came with open arms and kept receiving and reflecting on the activities we planned. It was nice to see them leave with hope—beyond the injustice—to see the solutions the communities can do when we shift power and resources to them."
– Girls for Climate Action
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