Innocent Agonza
A young student from Jinja, eastern Uganda is getting a lot of attention around the world after winning a top award in a big video contest. Lynette Mujaasi Kaye, a 9th grader at Viva College School, took first place in the “World of 8 Billion” video competition. Thousands of teenagers from 67 countries took part in this competition. Mujaasi is the first student from Uganda to ever win this competition.
Mujaasi’s 60-second video, Flushing Out the Crisis: Ending Open Defecation in Uganda, tackles the health and safety problems caused by open defecation, including disease and sexual assault, for Ugandan communities without access to sanitary and safe latrines. Lynette’s video proposes sustainable solutions such as community-led sanitation programs, education on hygiene, and investment in latrine construction, as well as in family planning and girls’ education.
Mujaasi was motivated to tackle this topic from first hand experiences seeing open defecation in her town, where most people have families of 6-8 children. “It’s a huge issue with the spread of disease,” she says. “There’s also a lot of flooding in my region, which further contaminates the water.”
She plans to donate some of her prize money to charity and use some for her school fees. She aspires to become a lawyer or journalist.
This year’s contest challenged students to explore how population growth intersects with three critical global issues:
- Child Wellbeing: The physical, mental, and emotional state of children greatly depends on their access to resources, the safety of their communities, and the reliability of the services around them.
- Rainforest Ecosystems: Climate change, mining, agriculture, and deforestation threaten the biodiversity and health of rainforests, which not only provide habitat for wildlife, but critical resources that humans rely on and benefit from.
- Sanitation: People have always struggled for proper sanitation – access to clean water for drinking and cleaning, as well as a system for safely handling human waste. It is crucial for public health and has been recognized as a human right.
“I am truly inspired by the video produced by Lynette Mujaasi Kaye and congratulate her on winning the competition,” says Dr. Gladys Kelema-Zikusoka, Founder and CEO of Uganda’s Conservation Through Public Health, and Population Connection Board member.
she notes that Mujaasi’s passion for stopping open defecation and promoting health and family planning in local communities within Uganda, “is captivating (and) making her a great role model for other students.”
According to John Seager, President of Population Connection, the thousands of students who took part in this year’s contest, “showed depth of thought, creativity, and a sense of collective responsibility for our environment and the wellbeing of people in their communities and around the globe.”
More than 4,600 students participated in this annual contest, organized by Population Connection’s Population Education program, and judged by a panel of educators, filmmakers, and experts in sustainability. With compelling messages and creative approaches, winners proposed innovative solutions such as solar-powered composting toilets, farm-to-family partnerships, agroforestry, and reimagining public transit, all in one powerful minute.
Prizes for high schoolers are $1,200 for first place, $600 for second, and $300 for honorable mention for high schoolers. Middle school first- and second-place winners received $600 and $300, respectively.
