1. 1 Prepared by: Ayiga Patrick Obita
patrickobita@yahoo.co.uk
Introduction
“Change is a constant in the lives of people and climate change is one of
the factors that foster this continuous change”. Responding to climate change
and related uncertainties is a principal development challenge as development
takes roots within the communities that are already experiencing the shocks of
climate change than never before. It not about pointing fingers or blaming the
others for what is being experienced but to put our energies in making sure that
these trends are reversed collectively.
What is World Vision Doing towards Addressing Climate Change
Adaption?
 World Vision considers environment to be one of the 6 cross cutting issues
within the organisational programming dependent on the context.
 In addition, whenever there is construction of classrooms and water points,
tree planting is one of the requirements. These trees act as wind breakers
though in nature goes towards improvement of Climate Change.
 Use of the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) technique that was
perfected in Niger since 1983 and it is being adopted / promoted in the East
African Countries as a means of rejuvenating degraded forests. In Uganda, this
is being undertaken in Arua District, Offaka Sub County and a new project is
to take part in Nakasongola and
Bundibugyo Districts. During the Conference held at the World Agro forestry
Center in Nairobi in April 2012, FMNR was endorsed by the participants as an
agro forestry practice
Photo 1: Sprouting trunk with many
sprouts
Photo 2: A pruned Trunk with a few
sprouts.

2. 2 Prepared by: Ayiga Patrick Obita
patrickobita@yahoo.co.uk
 Revitalizing the Community Disaster Preparedness Committees at all the levels
especially from the Sub County to the District levels. This is through working
together with the community to come up with a document that is used by the
community to be well prepared for any eventuality.
 In addition, World Vision supports these structures to come up with their
Community Disaster Preparedness Plans that forms their response, coping
mechanisms, capacity gaps, strengths and opportunities existent within the
communities and sustainability strategies. The authorities hence at least
become aware of what is critical that has to be budgeted.
 WVU houses the Africa Climate Change Resilience Alliance (ACCRA) Uganda
for Uganda that operates also in Mozambique and Ethiopia. This is a research
and capacity building consortium of Oxtfam GB, the Overseas Development
Institute (ODI), Care International, Save the Children and World Vision
International. Funded by the UK Department for International Development
(DFID) and Climate Development and Knowledge Network (CDKN).
 Working with other institutions and undertaking scientific studies of the type
of water system that needs to be put in place in any place. This has been in
Offaka Sub County in Arua District.
 Carrying out research and capacity building through the ACCRA consortium.
Researches have been carried out research on disaster risk reduction,
livelihoods and social protection programmes to better understand adaptive
capacity. The findings will inform and influence capacity building activities that
encourage other actors to adopt approaches to development that enable
people to build secure and productive livelihoods despite the challenges caused
by the changing climate.
 Promotion of Energy Saving Stoves. This was through the National Adaptation
Programmes of Action (NAPA). One of the adaptation activities currently
being carried out by the communities is the implementation of energy saving
cook stoves (a brick lorena stove type). This is the role of women in the
adaption of climate change. The other benefit has been the establishment of
strong social network for women to manage the challenges of climate change
and implement adaptation projects. The promotion of energy saving
technologies through training of community members to adopt this technology
has reduced the amount of wood fuel that would be used normally hence
reduces the rate of destruction of the environment.
How the Stove is made?
 The project emphasizes use of locally available materials (the raw materials
are Ant hill or clay soil, grass, water, cow dung, banana stems and a few
bricks for the foundation).

3. 3 Prepared by: Ayiga Patrick Obita
patrickobita@yahoo.co.uk
 The soil is mixed with grass chopped into tiny pieces and a paste made. The
bricks make the foundation and the banana stems help in the measurements
and separating the stove into two.
 Final finishing is done by smearing cow dung and
 The stove is left to dry for a period of two weeks.
 Taking the Weather Forecast to the Farmers' Door Step. Uganda like any
developing country has been having problems with dissemination of weather
forecast information to rural farmers. The seasonal forecasts disseminated
have been bulky, not interpreted and translated in a user friendly manner. The
dissemination channels and language used were also not favourable for
farmers. The dissemination was usually late due to using Districts who also
have challenges of resources to disseminate the information. The farmers had
therefore lost faith in meteorology services and had resorted to using
traditional methods of forecasting, which have also become unreliable due to
changes in climate.
ACCRA Uganda through the consortium members, together with the
department of meteorology - Ministry of water and Environment, and the
department of disaster preparedness and management -Office of the Prime
Minister supported the interpretation, translation and dissemination of the
weather forecast information to rural communities. This is aimed at ensuring
the information is timely and disseminated in usable formats to rural farmers
to make informed decisions and better seasonal planning. This is an interesting
initiative, which has never been explored in Uganda before.
For the first time, the weather forecast was jointly interpreted and advice
given with input from different ministries. Translation in local languages was
done to make it easy for farmers to understand the messages. The messages
were disseminated using local radio stations which are cheaper and have wide
coverage.
World Vision is in the process of procuring notice boards, which they have
named "weather boards", where the translated information will be posted for
community members to access.
 Promoting Adaptive Capacity. Uncertainty is increasingly proving to be a key
feature of people’s lives. For people living in developing countries, climate
change is adding to an already complex system. For those living in fragile

4. 4 Prepared by: Ayiga Patrick Obita
patrickobita@yahoo.co.uk
contexts, the changing hazards, shocks and, in some areas, endemic stress of
violent conflict, has meant that the millennium development goals (MDGs) to
date have not been achieved. World Vision’s development programming aims
to promote adaptive capacity in fragile contexts.
Adaptive capacity is understood by World Vision, as “the ability of individuals
and communities to anticipate, deal with and respond to change – both
changing climate and development pressures – while maintaining (or
improving) their wellbeing” (Levine et. al 2012). There are linkages between
this concept and resilience. As adaptive capacity can be investigated at a local
level, it offers a practical tool for thinking about resilience. Initial research (ibid
2011) suggests that improving adaptive capacity can also lead to improved
resilience of a system.
As such, this research paper has taken the local adaptive capacity (LAC)
framework as a starting point for analyzing World Vision’s programming. The
interventions are in social protection; food security; disaster risk reduction
and livelihoods in rural, urban and conflict contexts. The aim is to uncover
lessons, challenges and recommendations for development programming to
build local adaptive capacity and contribute to child wellbeing.
 Joining networks and building coalitions with the necessary partners at all
levels e.g. Department of Meteorology (Ministry of water and Environment)
and the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Management (Office of the
Prime Minister) and the local Governments at the District and Sub County
levels.
How to Adapt Climate Change in at the Grass Root Levels?
 Development practitioners should incorporate CCA in all development
programmes taking into consideration how the people will be able to adapt in
the future. Hence no development without adaptive capacity in all the
development processes.
 Interventions should be designed and implemented based on the scenario
planning taking into consideration the important likely changes and their
interactions. Intervention design must build flexibility into programme design
and management; build support for adaptive capacity into planning objectives.
This is the flexibility and scenario planning.
 Use autonomous innovation as an entry point for an adaptive capacity
perspective. This involves use of people’s own ability and practice of

5. 5 Prepared by: Ayiga Patrick Obita
patrickobita@yahoo.co.uk
experimentation and innovation as an entry point. Involves understanding how
people are currently experimenting and innovating in response to different
pressures, the constraints to innovation, uptake of new ideas, institutional
factors, power relations and other socio cultural factors.
 Turning information into knowledge. All information providers should redefine
their role as one of knowledge providers with the objectives being more
informed decision making. This should lead to support people to acquire the
required skills and tools to analyze and use the information provided and give
them ability to identify further information from other choices. Hence working
with people generating and holding information to ensure better connected
people.
 In addition, there is need to intensify awareness creation of climate change
over the years and most especially the unpredictability nowadays. These
should include the challenges, the root causes, the impacts and way forwards
of reversing these trends. The proper linkage of the way the communities’
human practices are related to climate changes. This should demystify climate
change as not a foreign issue but a collective effort by everyone one.