Lions Club Hoima launches Leo Club, challenges youth to champion tree planting

By George Niyonzima

Lions Club Hoima Albertine has challenged young members of its newly launched Leo Club at Bwikya Muslim Secondary School to make environmental conservation, particularly tree planting, a central pillar of their community service.

The appeal was made during the official chartering of the Leo Club at the school, where 42 students were inducted into the youth service organisation affiliated with Lions Clubs International.

Speaking at the launch on behalf of Lions Club Hoima Albertine President John Paddy Kiganu, the Regional Governor, Ediga Kasigwa, said environmental conservation remains one of the club’s key priorities and urged the new Leos to lead efforts to restore degraded ecosystems through tree planting.

“Environmental conservation is one of our core mandates. We want these young leaders to champion tree planting and inspire their communities to protect the environment for future generations,” Kasigwa said.

He noted that the initiative aligns with the club’s broader mission of promoting sustainable development while equipping young people with leadership and community service skills.

The club’s Service Chairperson, Lion Banabas Tugume, said the Leo programme is designed to nurture young people into responsible leaders by exposing them to volunteerism, leadership development and community engagement.

He expressed concern over the increasing destruction of vegetation caused by deforestation, charcoal burning and indiscriminate logging, saying young people have a crucial role to play in reversing environmental degradation.

“We have seen plant cover diminish because of human activities such as charcoal burning and logging. We believe the youth can become champions of ecosystem restoration by promoting tree planting,” Tugume said.

The newly launched Leo Club comprises 42 members, including a 10-member leadership team that will spearhead the club’s activities at the school.

The headteacher of Bwikya Muslim Secondary School, Hajji Mbuga Abdallah, welcomed the partnership, describing the Leo Club as an opportunity to nurture students into responsible citizens equipped with leadership, entrepreneurship, health awareness and environmental stewardship skills.

He said the students had already begun demonstrating positive behavioural changes and improved discipline during the period leading up to the club’s launch.

“The Leo Club will expose our students to opportunities that go beyond the classroom and prepare them for leadership and service in society,” Abdallah said.

The club’s inaugural president, Peterson Angello, pledged that members would remain committed to serving their communities while promoting the ideals of Lions Clubs International.

“We appreciate the confidence placed in us and promise to uphold the values of service, leadership and environmental protection,” Angello said.

The launch comes at a time when Uganda continues to grapple with rapid forest loss.

According to the 2024 National State of the Environment Report by the Ministry of Water and Environment and the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the country’s forest cover has declined from 24 percent in 1990 to about 12–13 percent today, with more than 90 percent of deforestation attributed to smallholder agricultural expansion and unsustainable harvesting of fuelwood and charcoal.

To mark the launch, Lions Club Hoima Albertine organised a series of community outreach activities, including a tree-planting exercise and a free medical camp where students and community members received HIV testing, diabetes screening, cancer screening and blood donation services.

Club leaders said the activities reflect Lions Clubs International’s commitment to serving communities through health promotion, environmental conservation and youth empowerment.