URCS Marks International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction through planting trees in disaster prone areas.

The Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) celebrated the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) by resuming their tree-planting initiatives in Eastern Uganda. The theme for this celebration was "Fighting inequality for a resilient future. Let’s Break the Cycle!" URCS focused on regreening the environment and distributed over 1500 tree seedlings to families in the Mt. Elgon region as part of the Strengthening Community-led Preparedness and Response project. The communities that received the Grevillea Robusta seedlings were those at high risk of floods and landslides in the districts of Mbale and Sironko. Fifty families at high risk of flooding received 20 Grevillea Robusta tree seedlings each. Additionally, fifty seedlings were given to Bukinyale primary school, and 200 seedlings were planted along the Sironko and Disi river banks in Sironko district. The remaining 300 seedlings were distributed and planted in Nashikhaso village, Bushikori Parish, Bungokho sub-county, located in the coffee city of Mbale District. Brenda Atero, the project's Emergency Preparedness and Response officer, and Sarah Orima Akello, the Climate Action and Environment Officer, led the URCS team during this initiative. They mentioned that the tree planting is part of the area's Disaster Risk Reduction Village Action Plans, identified during the Enhancement of Vulnerability Capacity Assessment training that the community-based disaster risk reduction groups participated in.