Head Office
We are Youth! Our Environment is our Future.
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF TANZANIA-KARAGWE DIOCESE
YOUTH CLIMATE ACTION DAY
On 8th January, Karagwe Diocese joined other UEM churches to implement youth climate Action Day in Lukajange church district that has 8 parishes. Within only One day 60 youth attended a seminar on recycling of plastic waste for organic farming. In general the seminar aimed a training youth on recycling of plastics for using organic farming.
Seminar on Organic farming
The seminar on organic farming was conducted by facilitators from KARUCO emphasizing on the importance of applying organic farming in the society including preserving land fertility, keeping human healthy stable because many industrial pesticides contains poison for human body also plastics. This seminar enabled youth discover opportunity of green agriculture that supports use of unwanted materials in their environment like grasses and broken dry trees in improving soil fertility.
Use of Plastics in Agriculture
In Karagwe plastics produced from home and domestic uses are always dumped everywhere, recycling of these wastes have not been improved in anyway. Through this experience youth had the experience of learning through practical ways on how they can use empty bottles of water, plastic cans and other materials for agricultural use especially production of vegetables for domestic and business purposes. In this also they were trained on using dry grasses, trees and flowers in making pesticides that have no negative impacts in human body. These all involved practical learning.
Groups of Learning
Theoretical learning involved one group that acted as the class and two facilitators were able to teach within the class. After this stage five groups were organized, each group had 12 participants and with specific activity as follow
Group 1. Love garden agriculture
Group 2. Tire garden
Group 3. Water can Garden or hanged plastic garden
Group 4. Plastic sacks Garden
Group 5. Bucket garden
This agriculture can be practiced in all areas (in village and towns) because materials needed are always available acting as part of decoration and source of food and income.
Slogan related posters
Youth suggested some environmental slogans and were written on posters as the way for their remembrance when they will be acting and working in their environment. Some these all were divided into groups of youth to be used as the motto of their groups.
Every group had her own motto in order to have one working goal for the group.
Taking Action
In order to continue with the project all youth attended agreed to each one of them introduce one project around their church compound so as to help others learn from them on the ways of this agriculture. Also they all agreed to establish at least one project in their homes in order to help parents get knowledge of the importance of plastic agriculture. The last agreement was conducting of seminars that will aim at helping others.
Meeting of setting out future plans
Way forward
After the effective seminar, every participant was eager to be an ambassador of change. They requested more seminars on climate change and organic farming in their community as they noted that every one, knowingly or unknowingly, is participating to destroy the planet in one way or another.
Karagwe diocese extends sincere gratitude for UEM’s concern on contributing for this event. We continue asking for more support on combating the impacts of climate change in our society through youth groups formed during the seminar.
The seminar ended with a word from Dean and Lukajange district pastor emphasizing youth to use acquired knowledge in reducing plastics in their environment.
text: Melina M. Nkongoki
