Written by Abigail Chifusa, (Global Schools Project Officer)
Global Schools Advocate in Uganda, Nabuduwa Grace Olive Musingo, recently visited her country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Secretariat, with the purpose of extending her work on integrating sustainable development into the education system in Uganda.
During her visit, Grace was introduced to different officials, with whom she shared her interests to collaborate with the SDG Secretariat in order to promote SDGs in schools and communities in her country, with the purpose of closing the gaps on lack of information and ensuring that everyone has a role to play in achieving the 2030 Agenda.
The members of the Uganda SDG Country Secretariat were impressed to learn about individuals such as Grace who had already achieved numerous milestones implementing sustainable development in Ugandan communities. They were also very impressed to hear about her role as an Advocate and the work that she had carried out on behalf of the Global Schools Program. The Secretariat congratulated Grace and presented her with a variety of materials which included: books, charts, and SDG banners.
Throughout her advocacy journey, which began in September 2021, Grace has trained 600 teachers and school leaders to support the implementation of SDGs within and outside the classroom.
In total, 300 students benefited from her school-wide activities. In one of the activities, students drew different SDG icons which they later interpreted in relation to their communities.
In addition, Grace expressed joy that throughout her time as an Advocate, she has seen an improvement in waste management and improved engagements in the community regarding conversations on sustainable development.
Grace also extended her advocacy and lessons on sustainable development to different groups such as healthcare workers, including 900 community members, parents, religious and community leaders, and other children during which she received formal awards and recognition as a Global Schools Advocate.
Her proudest moment was when she received an invitation to speak at a High School Farm Camp to various participants from the local and international community which included teachers, students, and different members of the agricultural sectors. Grace was happy to promote and extend her knowledge about SDGs and ESD to students and teachers from different backgrounds and communities.
Grace also had an opportunity to speak at a conference that brought together various regional stakeholders in education that included headteachers, district inspectors of schools, district education officers, principals of teachers' colleges, Ministry of Education officers, and district health officers.
In December 2021, she received recognition as a Global Schools Advocate of the Month for pushing forward Education for Sustainable Development in her school and community. Click the attached link to read about the activities that earned her the Advocate of the Month title.
