Natural Resources Defense Initiatives (NRDI) in Partnership with Join for Water and Climate KIC International Foundation have launched a new project dubbed Systems Innovation Learning Partnerships ( SLIP) whose main objective is to explore the potential of strengthening the capacity of women to participate in knowledge development and conservation planning.
The Women River Ambassadors ( WORIAS) will be used as Drivers of change in sustainably managing the Land River Interface with a case study of Mpanga Catchment.
According to Ben Bwalhuma the Project Manager SLIP at NRDI, this project is an experiment which is aiming at investigating how knowledge development and exchange can empower women to become actors of change in their community.
” We want to empower women in conservation activities, we believe that this will facilitate community-based consensus building which will increase responsiveness from duty bearers,” he said.
It should be noted that River Mpanga in Mpanga Catchment is one of the biggest sources of water in the Rwenzori Region but it is facing rampant degradation arising out of the unfavorable practices by natives.
According to the Executive Director NRDI Mr. Edgar Muganzi this project is a good initiative towards River Bank Protection and will play a big role in preserving and conserving River Mpanga