Four programmes, one mission

Justice is not given — it is built. At Nect Green Code, we believe that the people most affected by environmental harm, poverty, and injustice are not victims waiting to be saved. They are leaders waiting to be supported. Our Community Empowerment programme exists to provide that support — equipping individuals, groups, and communities across Uganda with the tools, knowledge, and platforms they need to demand and create change for themselves. An empowered community is the foundation upon which all our other work stands. Without it, no climate victory, no zero waste initiative, and no animal welfare campaign can take lasting root.

Why Community Empowerment Matters

Across Uganda's Albertine region and beyond, communities face a common and deeply unjust pattern: the decisions that most affect their lives — about land, energy, water, food, and the environment — are made without them. Oil companies negotiate with governments. Policies are written in capital cities. International climate agreements are signed by leaders far removed from the communities living with the consequences. This is a power imbalance. And power imbalances do not fix themselves. Nect Green Code works to shift that balance — by building the capacity of ordinary people to understand their rights, organise collectively, and hold powerful institutions accountable.

Who We Work With

• Farming and fishing communities in the Albertine region affected by oil developments
• Women and girls facing barriers to participation in environmental and civic decision-making
• Young people and youth groups who are the future of Uganda's environmental movement
• Grassroots community organisations that need support to grow their voice and impact
• Schools and educators who shape the next generation of environmental citizens
• Local government officials who need capacity to enforce environmental protections

What We Do

Civic Education & Rights Awareness: Land rights, Environmental Impact Assessments, Uganda's National Environment Act, filing complaints with human rights bodies.

Leadership Development: Training and mentorship for women and young leaders.

Community Organising: Collective strategies and coordinated action.

Digital Literacy & Communications: Documenting violations, using social media and video.

Youth Innovation & Green Jobs: Incubation programmes for green business ideas.

Our Key Activities

• Community dialogues and town halls on environmental rights and governance
• Women's leadership circles in the wider Albertine region
• Youth environmental clubs in secondary schools and universities
• Training of community paralegals to support land and environmental rights cases
• Storytelling and documentary projects capturing voices from affected communities
• Participatory action research where communities lead their own investigations
• Digital skills and social media training for grassroots advocates

Key Principles

Principle	What It Means in Practice
Nothing about us, without us	Affected communities lead the design of every programme
Local solutions first	We build on what communities already know and do
Women and youth at the centre	Leadership development prioritises those most excluded
Long-term investment	We build relationships, not just projects
Accountability upward and downward	We are answerable to communities, not just donors

At Nect Green Code, we believe that a just and sustainable world must extend its circle of compassion to include all living beings. Uganda is home to extraordinary wildlife — mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants, lions, hundreds of bird species, and countless other animals that make this country one of Africa's most ecologically precious places. Yet these animals, alongside domestic and farm animals, face mounting and often invisible threats. Our Animal Welfare programme exists to give them a voice — and to build a Uganda where every animal is treated with dignity, protected by law, and valued as part of our shared natural heritage.

Why This Programme Matters

Animals in Uganda face threats on multiple fronts — from habitat destruction driven by oil extraction and large-scale land use change, to human-wildlife conflict as communities and wildlife increasingly share shrinking spaces, to the suffering of animals in poorly regulated farming and domestic settings, to illegal wildlife trade that decimates populations of Uganda's most iconic species. These are not isolated issues. The degradation of wildlife habitats is directly linked to the same extractive industries and environmental injustices that NGC fights across all its programmes. When forests are cleared for oil infrastructure, animals lose their homes. When wetlands are polluted, aquatic life is destroyed. When communities lose their land and livelihoods, human-wildlife conflict intensifies. Animal welfare and environmental justice are inseparable.

What We Do

Wildlife Protection & Biodiversity Conservation: Raising awareness about threats facing Uganda's wildlife, particularly in the Albertine Rift. Advocating for protection of critical wildlife habitats and corridors. Supporting anti-poaching awareness and community-based wildlife monitoring.

Addressing Human-Wildlife Conflict: Developing humane, practical solutions to human-wildlife conflict. Promoting coexistence approaches. Advocating for adequate government compensation for communities affected by wildlife damage.

Domestic & Farm Animal Welfare: Raising awareness about humane treatment of domestic and working animals. Educating farmers on animal welfare standards. Advocating for enforcement of Uganda's existing animal welfare laws.

Legal Advocacy & Policy: Strengthening Uganda's animal welfare legislation. Engaging with the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Supporting communities in reporting animal cruelty and illegal wildlife trade.

Our Key Activities

• Community wildlife awareness campaigns in areas bordering national parks
• Training of community wildlife monitors and conservation champions
• Advocacy for stronger animal welfare legislation at district and national levels
• Collaboration with the Uganda Wildlife Authority on human-wildlife conflict mitigation
• School education programmes on animal welfare and wildlife conservation
• Documentation and reporting of animal cruelty, poaching incidents, and illegal wildlife trade
• Annual Wildlife Conservation Day celebrations in Hoima and the wider Albertine region

Waste is not just a nuisance — it is a symptom of a broken system. A system that extracts resources, uses them once, and throws them away. A system that places its dumps, its pollution, and its toxic burden on the communities least able to resist. At Nect Green Code, our Zero Waste programme challenges this system at its roots — promoting responsible consumption, circular economies, and community-led solutions that create a cleaner, healthier, and more just Uganda. Zero waste is not about perfection. It is about rethinking everything.

The Problem We Are Tackling

Uganda generates an estimated 600,000 tonnes of solid waste annually, with Kampala alone producing over 2,000 tonnes per day. Consequences: plastic pollution clogs drains, open burning releases dioxins, dumpsites leach toxins, organic waste produces methane (80x more potent than CO₂ over 20 years), and communities near waste sites face disproportionate health burdens.

Our Approach — The Circular Economy

Refuse → Reduce → Reuse → Recycle → Recover → Restore. Rather than treating waste as an end-of-pipe problem, we work upstream — changing behaviours, systems, and policies that create waste.

What We Do

Community Education & Behaviour Change: Waste sorting, composting, reducing plastics.
Youth-Led Innovation: Alternatives to plastics, upcycling businesses.
Strengthening Local Waste Value Chains: Supporting informal waste pickers.
Piloting Zero Waste Models: In schools, markets, rural communities.
Policy Advocacy: Extended Producer Responsibility, enforce plastic bans, integrate informal recyclers.

Key Activities

• Annual Zero Waste Schools Challenge across the Albertine region
• Community composting hubs turning organic waste into soil enrichment for local farms
• Plastic-free market campaigns in partnership with local traders and district councils
• Waste picker livelihood support and skills training
• Policy submissions to the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA)
• Zero Waste household pledge campaigns
• Partnerships with recycling enterprises to create end markets for collected materials

Key Facts (Uganda Context)

Issue	Key Fact
Uganda's annual solid waste	~600,000 tonnes per year
Kampala daily waste	2,000+ tonnes per day
Plastic bag ban	Uganda banned kaveera bags in 2007 — enforcement remains a challenge
Methane from landfills	~80x more potent than CO₂ over 20 years
Informal recyclers	Thousands of Ugandans earn livelihoods from waste recovery — largely unrecognised
Composting potential	Up to 70% of Uganda's waste is organic and compostable

The communities living near Uganda's oil fields, refineries, and pipelines did not cause the climate crisis — yet they bear its heaviest costs. At Nect Green Code, we believe that access to a clean environment and affordable, sustainable energy are fundamental human rights. This programme sits at the heart of everything we do — because without a stable climate and a just energy system, no other justice is possible.

The Crisis We Are Responding To

Uganda's Oil Expansion: In 2006, Uganda discovered over 6 billion barrels of commercially viable crude oil in the Albertine Rift region. Since then, the government — alongside TotalEnergies and CNOOC — has pursued four major projects: Tilenga Project (400+ wells inside Murchison Falls NP), Kingfisher Project (Lake Albert shores), East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) — a 1,443 km pipeline crossing rivers, wetlands, and the lands of over 100,000 displaced people, and Refinery at Kabaale. Projected emissions: 107+ million metric tonnes CO₂/year — more than many African nations combined.

Who Is Most Affected

• Farming and fishing communities in the Albertine region
• Women and children facing displacement and health impacts
• Indigenous and rural communities without land titles
• Wildlife including Murchison Falls NP, Lake Albert wetlands
• The wider East African region

What We Advocate For

A Just Energy Transition: Investment in decentralised renewable energy, end public financing for fossil fuels, community ownership.
Environmental Accountability: Hold TotalEnergies, CNOOC accountable, demand fair compensation.
Policy & Legislation: Strengthen environmental laws, stronger Paris commitments, fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty.

Our Key Activities

• Community monitoring and documentation of environmental damage caused by oil projects
• Legal and policy advocacy at national, regional, and international levels including the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
• Public education campaigns on the health and environmental impacts of fossil fuel extraction
• Coalition building with regional and global partners including Stop EACOP and international climate networks
• Participating in UN climate processes (UNFCCC/COP) to amplify Ugandan and African community voices
• Supporting renewable energy pilot projects in communities affected by oil developments
• Media and communications work to bring the stories of affected communities to national and international audiences

Key Facts & Figures

Fact	Detail
Oil discovered	2006, Albertine Rift
Estimated reserves	6+ billion barrels
EACOP pipeline length	1,443 km
Communities displaced	100,000+ people
Projected annual CO₂ (EACOP + Tilenga)	107+ million metric tonnes
Protected areas at risk	Murchison Falls National Park, Lake Albert wetlands
Countries affected	Uganda, Tanzania