Not Your Typical Fitness Group: Ugandan Walkers Plant Trees on the Go

A group of Ugandan residents have taken it upon themselves to walk from one town to another, not simply for the sake of fitness – but to call for climate action and educate others on ways to be kind to the planet.

March 2016 saw a long period of drought in the African nation, caused by some of the highest temperatures recorded in decades. Deeply affected by it, Geoffrey “Walker” Ayeni, a local resident, decided to act.

“I couldn’t just sit and watch,” says Ayeni, founder of the Walkers Association of Uganda. “I felt like it was our moral duty to do something; to move across the country and tell people about climate change and encourage them to adopt healthy practices like tree-planting”.

He started walking alone for almost 320km to kick off the campaign, drawing attention to climate change, delivering petitions and calling for environmental protection. As people joined Ayeni on his journey, they began planting trees, and by 2017 the group added climate activism to its goals.

The environment ministry of Uganda has since helped the group by giving them tree seedlings directly from the environment offices across the country, removing the burden and logistics of carrying saplings and tools around.