Laudato Voices | City Clean up – Saying no to plastics | March 23, 2026
Laudato Si Club Nyakasura School takes Environmental Action to raise awareness about its School’s Century of Excellence.
As Nyakasura School prepares to celebrate its 100-year anniversary on Thursday, 26th, students and community members in Fort Portal City have begun marking the milestone as a legacy of Service, Faith, and purpose. Many in Fort Portal city today have witnessed that Nyakasura is more than academics and sports. It is a living story and the historical legacy of a tourist city. A story told through the building of the campus, well preserved uniform of kilts, school traditions of young people formed in values, faith, leadership and service. The countless leaders who have walked these grounds, are individuals learnt “To Minister and Not to Be Ministered Unto.”
Among the many standout initiatives taking place in preparation for the centenary celebrations was todays Fort Portal city clean up championed by the Laudato Si Club of Nyakasura School, rooted in the school’s legacy of cleanness. Nyakasura School is one of the neatest and well-sustained historical schools in the Country. From the green, neat forested school compounds to the school farms, the well-sustained iconic historical school buildings, and the well-preserved culture of the Scottish kilt uniforms, probably the only one in Africa and the pride of Tooro and Fort portal city’s tourism icon endowed with beauty and substance. Besides all the above Nyakasura school remains a fountain of wisdom and embodies something extraordinary that everyone admires.
While the wider student body participated in a citywide march to raise awareness of the centenary celebrations, members of the Laudato Si Club took a different yet complementary approach. They carried out a clean-up exercise across key areas of Fort Portal City, translating awareness into tangible action. Their efforts underscore a growing recognition that commemorating institutional history must also involve responsibility toward the environment and the wider community. Learn more about the work of the Laudato Si Club at Nyakasura School.
The Laudato Si Club draws its inspiration from Laudato Si’, which calls for an “integral ecology” that links social responsibility with environmental care. As noted by Pope Francis, “the care for our common home is a shared responsibility requiring collective action” (Francis, 2015). This principle was clearly reflected in the students’ decision to prioritize cleaning activities even as celebratory events unfolded around them. Our Laudato Si Club at Nyakasura School traces its efforts to the school’s legacy, rooted in its founder’s vision and the inspiration of the Laudato Youth initiative, which mentors the club.
In 1926, a visionary man, Lieutenant Commander Ernest Ebohard Calwell, planted more than just the foundations of a school; he planted a dream. A dream of excellence, of character, of service, and above all, respect for heritage and the environment. Many who visit Nyakasura school see it with their own eyes, and they also see it in the places where the school’s alumnae are all over the world.
From the very beginning, Nyakasura School was never ordinary. It became a pioneer, introducing new traditions, nurturing discipline, and becoming the first school in Uganda to generate electricity from a small dam. This was not just innovation; it was foresight. It was sustainability before the world gave it a name. The school was also a pioneer school owning a swimming pool in the region and today students continue to work towards sustaining clean water, well preserved wetlands for the good of the school and the community.
As the school celebrates a century of existence, the Laudato Si Club of Nyakasura school reminds us that we are not just beneficiaries of this legacy; we are its custodians entrusted with the mission “To Minister and Not to Be Ministered Unto,” that drives the Laudato Si Club’s motivation to unite for Climate Action because the environment is our common home if we protect it well we secure the future.
Many in Fort Portal city today have witnessed that Nyakasura is more than academics and sports. It is a living story and historical legacy of a tourist city. As the school marks “A Century of Holistic Excellence,” the Club members and it patron have always priotised the ecological legacy of the school, making it a school that has remained true to its foundations: vegetation around it are well protected, often engages the community in tree planting, maintaining smart gardens and farms for students’ hands-on learning, the Laudato Si Club, is committed to upholding the school’s ecological legacy and but also teaching the other schools and the community the value of caring for the school environment through their green walks and media advocay towards, activities towards building a peaceful environment and safe livelihoods joining King Oyo’s campaign against HIV/AIDS.
Inspired by the founder’s innovative spirit and guided by the Laudato Youth Initiative, the Laudato Si Club rises to rekindle Nyakasura’s ecological legacy and to protect wetlands and swamps around the school, safeguarding what members have inherited from others.
As Nyakasura School celebrates its 100 years of existence, more doors will open for our Laudato Si Club to engage with the neighboring communities in a green initiative that upholds its commitment to making our homeland green and Clean, Saying No to plastics.
As the centenary celebrations approach, the message from Nyakasura School is clear: a century of excellence is measured not only by academic achievement but also by the values instilled in its students. The Laudato Si Club’s leadership in environmental stewardship demonstrates that the institution’s legacy continues to evolve, embracing contemporary challenges with transformation
