We are Impressed, World Bank Officials to WWF Uganda

Posted on 11 May 2023

Last week, WWF Uganda hosted officials from the World bank and the Ministry of Water and Environment in Kasese.

The guests were in the district to inspect the work done by WWF under the Fresh Water program to minimize the loss of life, livelihood and property caused by the frequent flooding of River Nyamwamba.

During the week-long visit, the guests witnessed how communities had been supported to restore degraded hotspot river banks in the mid and lower streams of the river.

Dr Callist Tindimugaya, the Commissioner of Water Resources at the Ministry of Waster and Environment Commended WWF for effectively working with communities to restore 1600Ha of deforested and degraded land through community tree growing on both individual and public land.

Officials from the World bank Commended WWF for placing the communities living around River Nyamwamba at the Forefront of their own interventions. Specifically, the officials were impressed that women and youth have taken on leadership roles in the roll out of these interventions.

With funding from World Bank under the Integrated Water Management and Development Project (IWMDP), the Ministry of Water and Environment contracted WWF to roll out catchment management and restoration activities in Nyamwamba catchment including river maintenance on critical hotspot areas along the river.

The AG Country Director at WWF Uganda, Simon Peter Weredwong stated that the activities in this project are community-based actions and majorly involve local community labor from the affected communities themselves; that is, the people that have been degrading the area.

According to Beria Namanya, the Fresh Water Program Coordinator at WWF in Uganda, some of the activities implemented under the project included River bank demarcation and restoration, afforestation of degraded community and individual land, alternative income generating activities at household level (Fish farming, stone product development, bee keeping, fruit growing, ecotourism, horticulture) among others.

Click here to read more about the Project milestones

The Commissioner of Water Resources in the Ministry of Water and Environment Dr Callist Tindimugaya together with the World Bank official during the monitoring visit last week.