Photo by Fridays for Future Uganda
Photo on Flipboard

Leah Namugerwa

Activist

Fridays for Future Uganda

POSITION

Activist

COMPANY

Fridays for Future Uganda

COUNTRY

Uganda

SCENE

Environment

SOCIAL

Instagram

Twitter

What makes Leah Namugerwa a Global Shaker?

When young Leah Namugerwa turned 15 earlier this year, she decided to plant 200 trees instead of having a birthday party.

Alongside fellow activists Bob Matuvo and Hilda Nakabuye, the young Ugandan is one of the most prominent climate activists in the Fridays for Future movement. Namugerwa — who has over 9,000 followers on Twitter — follows the lead of Greta Thunberg by striking from school every Friday. While her first travels onto the streets were alone, she is now joined by many other teens every week.

She’s currently leading a petition to force the country’s President, Yoweri Museveni, to turn an announced plastic bag ban into reality. She stresses the importance of tackling the issue in order to limit the extraordinary damage to livestock as plastic bags clog waterways, soils and ultimately the intestinal tracts of animals.

Leah Namugerwa also continues to sound the alarm on deforestation, droughts and floods. Recent posts stress that torrential rains burst the banks of the River Ssezibwa, sweeping away a bridge on a major road and potentially claiming the lives of three people.

“I’ve a message from my generation. It’s in pain,” she says in a recent video posted on Twitter. “We’re facing a crisis that we never created.

“Children are dying due to extreme weather events. Last week 10 children in Uganda died due to mudslides, erratic rainfalls, and floods. All out leaders are doing is talk, talk talk…

“I need climate justice for my generation.”

Tags: Activism, Climate crisis, School Strike, Uganda

Last updated: April 22, 2020