The Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement
East African PFP Alumni Collaborate to Host Four-Day Virtual Event Focused on Issues Related to Climate Change and Disability
Published: Dec 11, 2024
Country: Uganda
Harunah Damba is a Fall 2022 alumnus of the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement. This program is sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston in partnership with Humanity and Inclusion (HI). The following blog post was written by guest author Harunah.
My name is Harunah Damba, and I’m the Chairperson of United Persons with Disabilities (UPDS) in Uganda. I’m also a Fall 2022 alumnus of the Professional Fellows Program (PFP) on Inclusive Civic Engagement.
Recently, I had the privilege of hosting a four-day (October 7–10, 2024) online workshop series titled “Co-creating Knowledge for Climate Change Collaboration,” which focused on the intersection of climate change and disability. This initiative, funded by the Urban Movement Innovation Fund, brought together 55 participants from marginalized communities – including young people with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and young women – along with experts and advocates from around the world. It was an incredible opportunity to collectively explore how we can elevate these voices and ensure they are included in climate resilience discussions.
This workshop series is the second post-fellowship initiative I’ve co-created with my PFP mentor, Dr. Wendy Parent-Johnson, Director of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) and Professor in the Department of Counseling and Special Education at Virginia Commonwealth University. VCU-RRTC’s expertise in disability research and advocacy has been invaluable in shaping the content of the workshop series. Together, we wanted to create a space where marginalized communities could come together, share experiences, and learn the skills necessary to advocate for their needs in the face of climate change.
Opening Session: Climate Justice and Disability Rights
The workshop series kicked off on October 7, 2024, with a powerful keynote by Soovan Sharma Dookhoo, a Liaison Officer at the Special Education Needs Authority in Mauritius. His address, moderated by my fellow PFP alumnus Denis Ouma, focused on the intersection of climate justice and disability rights. Soovan emphasized the lack of policies that address the unique needs of individuals with disabilities in climate change discussions.
Advocacy, Communication, and Participatory Methods
One of the core sessions was led by Nery Birdeshell, Program Development and Strategic Support Manager at VCU-RRTC, and Elizabeth Rwabu, Inclusion and Support Officer, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at Makerere University, and in charge of the Disability Support Center at Makerere University. Together, they presented on “Effective Communication and Advocacy Techniques for Engaging Diverse Communities.” This session, also moderated by PFP alumnus Denis Ouma, explored strategies for raising awareness, effective communication, and advocacy, incorporating participatory methods like storytelling and social media.
Nery’s words really resonated with the audience: "No plan is for us without us. Involvement is crucial, and with our knowledge and lived experiences, we must collaborate with implementers to develop plans that incorporate our insights, ideas, and perspectives."
Climate Justice and Citizen Juries
Hezzy Smith, Esq., Director of Advocacy Initiatives at the Harvard Law School Project on Disability, and Joshua Drywater, Director of Native Initiatives at VCU-RRTC, moderated a panel titled “Environmental Justice and Unheard Voices: Lessons from Citizen Juries in Environmental Discourses in Ireland and the US.” The panel featured diverse voices, including PFP alumni Peter Ogik, Executive Director of the Source of the Nile Union of Persons with Albinism Uganda, and Denis Ouma, Chief Executive Officer, Embellish Consults Limited, Uganda. Drawing on examples from citizen juries, the discussion highlighted how marginalized voices, particularly those impacted by environmental and disability-related injustices, can shape more equitable climate action strategies.
Elevating Marginalized Voices
Another panel, moderated by Mercy Koti Fri, Executive Director of the Community Health Promotion and Rehabilitation Initiative, Cameroon, focused on “Developing Effective Strategies to Elevate Minority Voices in Climate Action: Lessons from Vanessa Nakate’s and Greta Thunberg’s Climate Advocacy Efforts.” PFP alumni Alan Herbert Oyango, TV Host and Producer at Signs Media TV Kenya and Founder and CEO of Black Albinism, and Allan Kabaale, Executive Director of the Disability Employment Rights Initiative (DERI) Uganda, discussed how activists have amplified marginalized voices in the climate movement. They provided insights into fostering inclusive dialogue that shapes political discourse.
Closing Session
The workshop series concluded with a hybrid session at the American Centre in Kampala, and I had the privilege of moderating this session. Key speakers, including Elizabeth Rwabu, an instructional design and technology student from Makerere University, Uganda; PFP alumnus Denis Ouma; Brenda Assasira, Assistant Training Coordinator, United Persons with Disabilities Uganda; Hellen B. Masi, Public Affairs Counselor, U.S. Mission Uganda, and others, explored strategies for elevating the voices of marginalized communities, ensuring their experiences are effectively communicated to policymakers and the public.
Attendees shared that the workshop series highlighted the importance of self-advocacy, understanding one’s rights, and engaging with communities at both local and global levels. These conversations were not only about addressing climate change but also about understanding the complex intersection between climate justice and disability rights.
In the months ahead, I plan to use the insights gathered from this initiative to develop a framework that enhances engagement for minority groups on issues that directly affect them.
As climate change increasingly impacts communities worldwide, initiatives like this one showcase the importance of adopting collaborative and intersectional approaches to climate action. By centering the voices of those most affected, especially those from marginalized communities, these initiatives ensure that climate solutions are both inclusive and shaped by the lived experiences of those who need them most. The work is far from over, but together, we can elevate these voices and create lasting change.
An archive of the conference is available here.