Youth have recently emerged as a powerful force in tackling climate change through innovative local and global initiatives aimed at reducing pollution, raising awareness, and transforming waste into sustainable resources.
Leah Namugerwa – Uganda
On her fifteenth birthday, Leah Namugerwa walked away from her party to give the world a different kind of gift: planting 200 trees through her "Birthday Trees" project. Instead of birthday presents, she distributed seedlings to her friends and community members, encouraging them to celebrate by planting life.
This initiative has since evolved into a campaign encouraging tree planting on all birthdays, linking celebration with sustainability and environmental stewardship.
Additionally, Leah Namugerwa is an active member of Fridays for Future Uganda, participating in global climate strikes since February 2019, advocating for urgent government action and the enforcement of the plastic bag ban.
In November 2022, she attended COP27 in Egypt as a speaker, emphasizing that extreme climate conditions require practical solutions and the translation of legislation into tangible action.
Elizabeth Wathuti – Kenya
Elizabeth Wathuti founded the Green Generation Initiative in 2016, carrying out extensive tree-planting campaigns that raised environmental awareness. Over 30,000 seedlings have been planted in schools and communities across Kenya.
Growing up in Nyeri, Elizabeth was inspired by the local forests, which led her to establish the first environmental club at her school, followed by one at Kenyatta University, before founding her organization.
The initiative aims to teach children and communities how to plant trees, ensure food security, and foster early environmental awareness.
Elizabeth served as a rapporteur for the African Youth Movement at COP26 in 2021, played a key role in founding Africa’s first youth climate association, and has received numerous awards, including Africa Green Person of the Year (2019) and the Time 100 Impact Award (2023) in Singapore.
She is a full member of the Green Belt Movement, a board member of the Elephant Neighbors Center, and part of the Youth Council at the International Protected Areas: Youth Land Fund.
Thanks to her passion, exemplary leadership, and personal commitment to environmental conservation and community development, she received the Wangari Maathai Scholarship from the Green Belt Movement, the Kenya Community Development Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Elizabeth previously served as President of the Kenyatta University Environmental Club and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies and Community Development.
Internationally, she was honored with the Diana Award in 2019 for her daily efforts in driving sustainable positive change, and her environmental conservation work was recently recognized by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Elizabeth was among the regional finalists for the UN Young Champions of the Earth Award (Africa, 2019), thanks to the impact of her organization.
Recently, during her attendance at COP25 in Madrid, Spain, she received the Young Climate Champion Award 2019 from the Green Climate Fund.
