Mountainous regions are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods and landslides, due to the pressure that builds because of the movement of the tectonic plates which form the natural elevation of the land and human activities that deprive the landscapes of natural protection. Research has shown that climate change is contributing to the frequency of these natural disasters by destabilising natural ecosystems, triggering disasters and extreme weather events.
Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano and one of Uganda’s oldest geological formations. The upper slopes are protected within national parks in Uganda and Kenya and the surrounding landscape is home to diverse wildlife and plant species. The region includes 8 districts in Uganda, representing over 1,000,000 communities.
Natural disasters are common in the region but increasing in frequency and scale of impact due to climate change. Local communities are vulnerable to flooding, landslides and hailstorms, with those based at the foot of the mountain at acute risk to the impact of these disasters.
Commonwealth Alumnus Jimmy Asiku is the Disaster Risk Management Coordinator for Oxfam in Uganda, based in the Mount Elgon region. He works with local and international stakeholders to coordinate disaster responses and build disaster preparedness at the community level.
Building community vigilance
Jimmy is coordinating Oxfam’s disaster preparedness project in the region, working with over 100,000 disaster-prone communities to build their disaster preparedness and reduce their vulnerability.
The project covers several different disaster preparedness interventions, including implementing early-warning systems, anticipatory actions and climate and disaster education.
“Disasters are going to be here in this region, and they’re not going to go away. The whole idea [of the project] is how can we then reduce impact of these disasters on the people who are been affected?”
Community members opening drainage to divert excess water from local households
In establishing a localised early-warning system, Jimmy and his team have worked with local community volunteers to deliver training on how to monitor important environmental indicators precursing natural disasters. Flood indicators include changes in water levels and water colour in local rivers, and landslide indicators include new and enlarged cracks in the mountain.
Through a newly established system of local community radios, this information can be disseminated alongside relevant advice on how communities can prepare.
Another aspect of the early-warning system includes educating volunteers and community members on using seasonal forecasts produced by the Meteorological Authority of Uganda to prepare for natural disasters.
For example, in cases of predicted high levels of rainfall, Jimmy and his team have worked with communities to map spots where rivers typically flood from during these periods. When high levels of rainfall are predicted, volunteers can implement barriers in these spots to mitigate flooding. Similarly, communities living in valleys can prepare for flooding by opening drainage channels in advance, redirecting flood water away from homes and villages.
“We try to reduce the risk by doing some obvious small activities, which they can always do within their capacity. People knew these things, but sometimes they needed a bit of awareness to continue doing some of these things. This has significantly helped.”
Securing sustainable funding
Securing disaster preparedness financing is critical to the long-term sustainability of the project. Whilst it is currently being delivered by Oxfam with funding from European Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the project will end in August 2026, meaning alternative funding will be required to continue to deliver certain activities.
Under the Disaster Preparedness and Management Policy of Uganda, local governments are required to budget for disaster management in their locality as part of a contingency fund. Through advocacy and capacity strengthening with the five local governments in the Mount Elgon region where the project is been implemented, Jimmy has secured financial commitments from four local governments to allocate between 1-3% of their local revenue to a contingency fund in the 2024/2025 financial year.
This marks a significant change in how local governments are engaging with and financially positioned to support disaster preparedness. As well as committing funds, working under Jimmy’s guidance, the five districts have collaborated to establish a regional warehouse, stocking important non-food items to distribute to communities to respond to disasters.
The first 72 hours after a disaster are critical. According to the European Humanitarian Aid Operations standard, there should be no more than 72 hours between reporting a crisis and receiving a response.
Previously, in times of disasters, the Office of the Prime Minister based in Kampala, approximately 235km away, would complete rapid needs assessments and deliver support from central government, often days following a disaster. Now when disasters occur, local governments can work with communities to assess needs and distribute locally available resources from the regional warehouse. Where additional needs are required, these can be reported and requested from the Office of the Prime Minister.
“It’s a good sign that there’s a willingness towards this, and we will continue pushing this and see how this can be taken care of in the next few years.”
Developing essential skills through study
Jimmy credits his Commonwealth Shared Scholarship and Master’s in Agroforestry & Food Security at Bangor University in building critical leadership skills which are central to his current role. He cites his experience as the CSC’s Regional Network Coordinator as instrumental to this.
The role required Jimmy to network and create connections with new people and those from diverse cultures and backgrounds. In delivering events and workshops for fellow Scholars studying in the region, Jimmy had to understand their needs and requirements to deliver activities of interest, whilst also managing expectations and a small budget. Every interaction was an opportunity to increase his confidence and public speaking skills.
“And this has directly translated into what I’m doing at Oxfam; I’m dealing here with a number of people whom I don’t know and some of them represent very big organisations.”
A large part of Jimmy’s current role requires him to advocate to ministers, permanent secretaries and other senior members of the Ugandan Government on behalf of vulnerable communities. Having the skills to confidently manage these discussions and understand how to convey information to different stakeholders to secure national funding and investment is fundamental to the success of these projects.
Jimmy describes his Commonwealth Scholarship experience and study at Bangor University as ‘unlocking’ his way of thinking and notes that from his first assignment he has never thought the same way again.
A key component of his work is the ability to assess and report on situations to identify the best solutions. His studies at Bangor University encouraged him to analyse whole situations to identify and understand the different factors influencing these and to call on different perspectives. His ability to think in this way has resulted in him being regularly consulted to contribute to a range of projects and lend his expertise.
Connecting agroforestry and disaster resilience
Jimmy’s motivation to apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship was to deepen his skills and knowledge in agroforestry, one of his key passions. He notes, however, that the course was so much more than that. Through his modules and fieldwork in flood-prone communities in Wales and Northern Ireland, Jimmy learned the interconnectedness between natural disasters, climate change and agroforestry.
On graduating, Jimmy found he had a new perspective and understanding of the important role of agroforestry in natural resource management. He has subsequently applied this to a natural resource management programme delivered by Oxfam in the Mount Elgon region and refugee settlements in Southwest. The programme was designed to support refugees and their host communities in sustainably managing natural resources in the face of an increasing population.
Working with refugees and host communities, Jimmy has introduced farmers to important natural farming techniques, such as integrating crop and tree planting to encourage biodiversity to increase crop yield and using trees to provide crop cover during natural disasters such as storms. As well as improving livelihoods and food security, mixed planting has reduced the need to source firewood from protected mountain land, reducing human impact on the natural environment and its vulnerability to climate change.
Contributing to national development
Jimmy is grateful for his Commonwealth Shared Scholarship and Master’s at Bangor University in supporting his personal and professional development and using his skills and knowledge to contribute to Uganda’s national development, whilst supporting local communities.
“Before my Scholarship in the UK, I struggled to grow and contribute to the development of my country at a higher level. I had worked as an Environmental Officer for more than 7 years without any hope of promotion or getting a higher position.
“Since my return from the Scholarship, I have grown, and I am now making a significant contribution to the development of my country and community at large at a higher level.
“I can confidently say that I am evolving to become a national leader, and influential both at Oxfam and national level. I am also happy to say I am proud of the lives of many community members I am touching through my work. The many families that were suffering from disasters and can now avoid or reduce the impact on their lives are my testimonies.”
Jimmy Asiku is a 2021 Commonwealth Shared Scholar from Uganda. He completed an MSc in Agroforestry & Food Security at Bangor University.
