Empowering women, protecting health, and building climate resilience in Bunyoro

Across the oil-impacted districts of Hoima, Buliisa, and Kikuube, women are mobilising to respond to one of our time’s most urgent but overlooked crises—the intersection of climate change, public health, and environmental justice.

From heat stress and unsafe water to diseases outbreaks and pollution-related risks, the health toll of oil and gas activities will rise, affecting women, children, and the hardest vulnerable.

For months, we have worked alongside community leaders, women and youth, local authorities, CBOs, and the media to raise awareness and confront these challenges head-on through climate adaptation outreach, rights education, local capacity building, and community mobilization.

Our efforts focus on protecting the rights of Project-Affected Persons (PAPs)  who are navigating the dual pressures of climate shocks and extractive industry impacts.

At the heart of these efforts are Women Resource Centres in Hoima, Buliisa, and Kikuube—targeted initiatives supporting women and youth through:

– Climate-smart agriculture and regenerative practices that increase incomes while restoring degraded environments.

-Nature-based solutions that protect ecosystems and improve the well-being of adolescent girls.

-Empowering women and youth to claim their rights and reduce sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

-Identify climate-related health risks—from food insecurity to water scarcity and pollution.

-Strengthening local adaptation strategies rooted in indigenous knowledge and lived experience.

-Building partnerships with local media and leaders to amplify community voices and drive accountability.

These efforts are community-led, sustainable, and grounded in the realities of those most affected by both the climate crisis and extractive industry pressures.