Lalobo Wilfred, the leader of the Lokomo cluster, has dedicated himself to expanding his Cluster through the creation of Small Groups. Wilfred identifies as an environmentalist and hopes to plant as many trees as possible in his community to help restore land that was decimated during the Lord’s Resistance Army Insurgency. When asked, he can easily list off all the benefits from tree planting: better climate, more fertile soil from decomposition, shade, and carbon sequestration that can help prevent global warming.

Wilfred is no stranger to leadership, holding 4 other leadership positions in his community. He currently serves as the parent’s representative for the Child and Family Program and the farmer’s representative for WorldVision. He also works with the East West Seed company to plant vegetables and is responsible for the women and youth in his clan. It’s no surprise that Wilfred was elected to lead his Cluster after a brief review of Wilfred’s past leadership. As much as he enjoys being the Cluster leader, Wilfred is looking forward to passing the baton as leading gives everyone the opportunity to learn a new skill set.

Wilfred hopes that the collaboration between TIST and his community will help to reverse the effects of the insurgency. Gulu suffered greatly during the insurgency; many villagers, elders and children alike, lost their lives. The environment suffered too, as both rebel and government camps cut down surrounding trees for charcoal and firewood. According to Wilfred, there was no one left to replant because everyone was focused on one thing: survival. Once the camps had cleared out, the waterbodies had dried out due to a loss of trees along the watershed and large areas of land were infertile. Wilfred believes that his community has the power to make a difference and bring back the land to its original grandeur.