A Journey Filled with Sweat and Tears

One cold and windy evening in February 2013, we received a call from Dr. Leszek Sibilski, our professor of contemporary social problems at the University of Maryland. He told us about a unique opportunity to make a short video documentary at a World Bank event organized by Connect4 Climate (C4C) entitled “Right Here, Right Now.”

Immediately, we sensed it would be an interesting endeavor and we spontaneously said: “Let’s do it!”

We are two young Chinese women studying in the U.S. Yaqi Liu is an undergraduate broadcast journalism student. In her sophomore year, she decided to take Sibilski’s contemporary social problems class, which ultimately changed her life in an incredible way. She talked about the class to her friend, Marianne Ma, who was doing first-year graduate studies in Supply Chain Management at the same university. Yaqi was enthusiastic about all the social changes and movements that professor Sibilski mentioned in class and Marianne was inspired by her enthusiasm.

We decided to talk with professor Sibilski, asking him for opportunities to witness or even participate in current social movements. The trip to the World Bank headquarters was exactly the opportunity we were hoping for.

Although we did not have professional equipment or sophisticated video production skills, we were passionate, feeling that this project would be challenging and interesting. But we never thought it would raise our social consciousness, and perhaps even change the path of our lives as well.

Children and youth are amongst the largest stakeholders of civil society but, sadly, continue to be the least represented. Due to pre-conceived notions about our capabilities, we are often taken for granted and not allowed to have a say in determining our future. The youth of today are aghast at the escalating rate of environmental degradation and at the prospect of us, future generation, inheriting a barren planet that cannot sustain its inhabitants.

We cannot and should not remain mute observers at the increasing imbalance of the three pillars of sustainability. With the global population crossing 7 billion, the earth's finite natural resources are under tremendous strain. Economic progress is being achieved at the cost of the environment while, paradoxically, the polarization between the global north and south continues to increase. Vast tracts of forests are getting wiped out daily, fresh water bodies are being polluted by industrial effluents, millions of hectares of arable land are degrading into deserts and multitudes of species are being pushed towards extinction. The rapid increase in the global carbon footprint is having a hugely detrimental effect on our climate.

[video:https://vimeo.com/101874077]

 

Performing climate justice song Tree planting is an integral part of all our academies as we feel that this is the simplest and most effective way of combatting climate change. It is also very relevant to the region we live in, since deserts surround us. Trees not only stop land degradation, they also reduce your carbon footprint, retain water and positively impact climate change. As an outcome of our academies, our members have planted thousands of trees not just in the UAE, but in other countries as well. Each academy is taught by a fresh group of members and during our preparations we train them on public speaking and presentation skills. Our academies are now much awaited events and not only schools, even corporates, have started to invite us to hold sessions for their employees. We have also begun conducting road shows so that we can reach out to a wider segment of civil society.

African Bloggers on Climate Change kicked off this morning and will run through October 31st. Below is a list of all the commentary and blog posts related to AVCC. We will update this list daily with all the blog posts that have been written so far. If you are an African blogger or a climate change, environment blogger, we encourage you to join the conversation. Check out the original AVCC posts for guidance on how to engage in the global conversation.

1) Voices

by Rowan Emslie

Recently the whole climate change debate has been mostly dominated by ‘climate deniers’ and those who deny their denials. A tale as old as time, we have progressive thinkers attacking conservative thinkers and vice versa.

2) Rwanda Shines in Conservation Where Her EAC Partners Falter

by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome

Conservation is never easy, always full of the challenge to keep growing populations reconciled with having protected areas set aside near where they live and percolate benefits to those who live nearby, derived from tourism and conservation income.

3) Blogging for Connect4Climate - WildLife

by Solomon Jagwe

With most of the wildlife in the East African Rift Valley depending on the changing of seasons to migrate to areas where their offspring can stand a chance of survival, it is of great importance to discuss how the climate change adversely affects those migration patterns.

4) Innovative Solutions in Africa

By Independent Global Citizen

Deforestation and waste management are two challenges facing the global community.  Trees are often cut down in rural parts of developing countries to be used as firewood to cook and to fire mud bricks used in the construction of buildings like houses, shops, and latrines.

5) Act now, Act together, Act differently

By Mimieux

In just 3 years, Kenya has suffered two bouts of severe drought leaving thousands of people dead. Northern Kenya, boasting extreme temperatures of up to 35 degrees falls under the 80% of Kenyan land that is arid/ semi-arid and consequently not suitable for Agriculture.

6) This is about Climate Change really, but it's about My Childhood Too

By Iwaya Mataachi

The boys would run naked into the “river” and splash water at the giggling girls huddle on the bank and I could see, even then, in the corner of my eye, the boy and the girl who had split from the group to talk in private under a tree away from us.

7) Energy poverty - Where does the answer lie?

By Evelyn Namara

In Uganda today, according to a report submitted by UNESCO "Overall, only 9 percent of Uganda’s population is supplied with grid electricity (20 percent in urban areas compared to only 3 percent in rural areas), and 70 percent of these customers reside in the three major towns of Kampala, Entebbe and Jinja."

8) Changing the World

By Ruth Aine

You and I may never make it to The UN Convention on Climate Change: We may never be able to be part of the debate on the environment in Uganda led by the Ministry of Water and Environment; We may never be able to know and understand what is meant by major greenhouse gases being necessary to identify the current trends in atmospheric concentrations and climate change: But I believe that we can effect change by being the voice in our communities where we belong.

9) Listen; the trees and water are talking

By Mark Keith Muhumuza

Little known to the active men and human nature is that their actions will be met with vast environmental misgivings. The energy demands by human nature often growing and depleting natural resources like water and forests have vast consequences mostly unknown or that they have no control over.

10) "Climate Smart" - Agriculture Initiatives Will Save Africa

By Maureen Agena

Climate change impacts are much localised and hence some areas are more vulnerable than others. Therefore African Governments need to spearhead initiatives of climate proofing Agriculture with all partners involved in climate change adaptation strategies.

11) The environment does not need saving

By John K. Abimanyi

Go build an industry in a wetland, a sugar cane farm in a forest, a shopping arcade in a wetland, a hydro power dam on the longest river, a collection of nightspots in the few green spaces in the capital, cut some trees and make some charcoal, drain all the fish from the seas, and help promote the cause of humanity. Self-destruction is, after all, what humanity is best experienced at doing.

12) An Ode To Mother Earth

By Lydia Idem Finkley

I’ve always been a tree hugger. Directly because they are Nigerian, mine have always been “waste-not-EVER” parents. So even if they never admit it, it’s in my blood. I do my best to support local farmers and green companies. When I grow up, I’ll be an investor in green and sustainable technology.

13) Connecting4Climate: Promoting an Active Recycling Culture in Nigeria

By Tukeni Obasi

The present stigma attached to waste management and recycling reveals the disconnect between the average Nigerian and their waste and yet as reality has shown, climate change continues to connect us all. In order to turn that connection into a beneficial one, we must change our cultural practices.

14) Reflections on the festival of lights

By Neha Misra

Electricity access is fundamental for achieving UN’s millennium development goals (MDG’s), the most broadly supported, comprehensive and specific development goals the world has ever agreed upon. 

15) Energy at the cost of the environment

But that said, the energy demands of our nation need to be paid attention to and planned for wisely because our current energy consumption isn’t sustainable even in the short run. Uganda as a country needs a sustainable model of handling its energy demands and still paying respect to the environment from which these demands are met.

16) The road to sustainable energy in Nigeria

By Lyinoluwa.O Aremu

This is why the introduction of the new electric prepaid meter, few years back, is a good idea for sustainable energy in Nigeria. This meter, unlike the old one, requires customers to buy electric units on the meter, which will eventually be used up, depending on how many electric appliances are used or the frequency of the usage of the electric.

17) Our Health and Climate Change

By Njeri Nancy Maina

Water is life and as long as man shall live, water remains the most essential element to life on earth. Liquid in normal room temperature and ice when frozen; water is basic to our everyday activities especially around the home. Water may appear of less importance to those who have consistent access to it but once it’s out, one then realizes the service water offers.

18) 6th African Economic Conference: Youth employment within the new African Green Economy Agenda 

By Esther Agbarakwe

So does Green Economy bring hope to African youths seeking Jobs? Speaking at the Special Session on the Role of the State in promoting Green Economy, African Youths and experts urge government to ensure that decent Jobs are indeed created for Africa’s  youths and not use the notion of technology transfers and innovation to give jobs to non-Africans employed to help Africa transits to a green economy.

19) Dear baby Seven [ Billion ]

By TMS Ruge

That intelligence and ambition drives us to invent and reinvent. We are destructively creative beings by nature; never satisfied with the status quo. “Out with the old and in with the new,” is a motto you will hear a lot in your lifetime. We create to destroy.

20) A key: the role of women in climate change

By Iyinoluwa O. Aremu

So, how do we go about this? We don’t need much of government action in raising awareness of climate change to women, we only need interested and motivated people or organisations, who are ready to go into the rural areas, meet the women and show them demonstrations of how they can save their environment.

21) Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture and Food

By Olumide Idowu

Populations in the developing world, which are already vulnerable and food insecure, are likely to be the most seriously affected. In 2005, nearly half of the economically active population in developing countries—2.5 billion people—relied on agriculture for its livelihood. Today, 75 per cent of the world’s poor live in rural areas.

22) Nigeria: Why Climate Change

By Olumide Idowu

Peer-reviewed research accepted by the Journal of Geography and Regional Planning concludes that Nigeria’s average temperature has risen by 1.7 degrees in the period 1901-2005. The increase has been higher in the semi-arid regions and lower in the coastal zone. The paper also demonstrates that the rate of change has increased since the 1970s.

23) 7 Billion People and Counting: {Connect 4 Climate - Change}

By Andy Kristian

In short, more than 45% of the people that dwell in urban areas do not have electricity. And that’s not all, in the cities, the other 45% who have electricity, they probably don’t have it all week and sporadically experience power outages during the week.

24) Of Human Waste and Water: Cleaning up Lagos City

By Olatunbosun Obayomi

In July, Lagos experienced heavy rain fall. Storm water overwhelmed the poorly designed drainage and canal systems which were already choked with refuse. Twenty-five people lost their lives and the city came to a halt. Both rich and poor were impacted. The event was blamed on climate change, specifically the rise of the Atlantic Ocean.

Climate change is one of the major problems we face today.

It may lead to the permanent flooding of low-lying regions and the disruption of potable water supply to millions around the world as the ice-packs in the mountains shrink and deplete the water reserves of major population centers. It may also lead to the decline in oil and gas supplies as hydro-carbon reserves peak and the price of energy increases exponentially. These events would have an extreme affect on our world.

But climate change may also cause, directly or indirectly, deep fractures in world trade and commerce that would likely result in political tensions and armed conflict among religious, ethnic, and cultural communities across the world. Ending extreme poverty is impossible without tackling climate change. A few months away from the defining Climate Change negotiations in Paris, now is the time to face the defining challenge of our generation.

[video:https://vimeo.com/128639704]

 

"Communication has becoming the glue, the cement of all we do in everyday life, and especially when it comes tackling major global issues, such as climate change."

Whereas in the past, we were able to increase food production over a few cropping cycles, or establish income generating ventures in a couple of years, the “new” problems we face may take years, and in the case of climate change, several generations for the world community to resolve.

How do we build consensus and muster the altruistic intent of the present generation to consume less, de-escalate conflict, and subject ourselves to research so that future generations who will exist long after we are gone may inherit a habitable planet?

The tried and tested methods of agriculture extension, social mobilization, community participation, and multi-lateral negotiation are unlikely to succeed on their own as these systemic problems grow in their severity and people submit to innate human instincts for self-preservation and compete even more keenly for rapidly dwindling natural resources, ratchet-up violence, hoard energy and water, and close markets to international commerce.

We do not have appropriate strategies to begin addressing these “new” and highly complex challenges. 

At the 2012 edition of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the background report on the global risks our world faces clearly stated that three common, crosscutting observations from the varied groups of experts consulted:

* Decision-makers need to improve understanding of incentives that will improve collaboration in response to global risks;

* Trust, or lack of trust, is perceived to be a crucial factor in how risks may manifest themselves. In particular, this refers to confidence, or lack thereof, in leaders, in the systems which ensure public safety and in the tools of communication that are revolutionizing how we share and digest information;

* Communication and information sharing on risks must be improved by introducing greater transparency about uncertainty and conveying it to the public in a meaningful way.

Jan Servaes (PhD, 1987, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium) is Chair Professor in the Department of Media and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong and UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change. Servaes has undertaken research, development, and advisory work around the world and is known as the author of journal articles and books on such topics as international and development communication; ICT and media policies; intercultural communication and language; and participation and social change.

This morning we ran across two articles covering two different aspects of the climate change debate. Or should we say, two articles highlighting two very divergent realities about climate change. It is important to note that the climate change debate between scientists is a much different conversation than the conversation between those affected by climate change.

On one hand, most scientists have the luxury of empirical data upon which to base their arguments, either in defense or in denial of the phenomena. On the flip side, those affected by climate change most often live the experience of climate change. Their anecdotal contribution to the debate is very much passed over for lack of scientifically verifiable data. This creates a valley of misunderstanding where both sides are speaking past each other and not really putting the two sides of the debate on a equal pitch.

Here's a look at the two articles:

The first one is a prime example of what one normally sees in the climate change debate, highly-educated Western academics and practitioners locked into a battle of intellectual one-upmanship. In this case, Germany's Spiegel publication sits down with long-time activist Fritz Vahrenholt on his new book, The Cold Sun, in which he disputes that CO2 and man-made GHG as the major and sole contributors to climate change.

Today, I want new scientific findings to be included in the climate debate. It would then become clear that the simple equation that CO2 and other manmade greenhouse gases are almost exclusively responsible for climate change is unsustainable.

According to the interview, Vahrenholt asserts that global warming isn't happening, and that in fact, there's a global cooling period that is about to begin.

The whole Q&A session with Spiegel is a riveting exchange of equally matched intellectuals dancing around dissenting conclusions. However, it is important not to dismiss Vahrenholt simply as a climate denier. As a respected scientist in Germany's energy sector, his counter argument to the seemingly single story on climate change is going to carry a lot of weight and perhaps open a whole new chapter to the climate change debate. Vahrenholt, it seems, is aiming for this as an outcome.

"It hasn't gotten any warmer on this planet in almost 14 years, despite continued increases in CO2 emissions. Established climate science has to come up with an answer to that."

The second article was a pictorial featured on the BBC Africa website: In pictures: Making charcoal from Liberian rubber trees. The first thing you notice about this pictorial is that, the images tell the story, instead of the people in the images. The images tell the story of the after-market of rubber trees, a major industry in Liberia, that are cut down after every 25 years. The local population harvests the fallen trees and manufactures charcoal, the preferred energy source for most of the country. According to the captions, Liberia relies mostly on wood for it's access to energy. Only 1% of the country has access to modern clean fuels, the lowest in the world.

This is a polar contrast to Germany, with it's vast array of clean energy resources including wind, solar, nuclear, and hydro-electric. So vast that Vahrenholt casts off solar energy as not suitable for Germany. To Vahrenholt, solar should be relegated to developing markets. "Wind power and biomass are fine in Germany, but no solar panels, please! They're better off in Africa and southern Europe." Must be nice to have an abundance of choices.

The framing of the two discourses is also telling of the current state of the debate. On one hand, the intellectuals get the microphone to wax poetic in defense of their purview. Those at the bottom of the climate change pyramid are most often depicted through someone else's lens and are never part of an equal conversation. They are the users, the affected, and the statistical collateral damage of a polarizing debate.

What happens when the debates become about the people, and less about the science and cyclical anomalies? What happens when these rubber tree scavengers (call them recyclers really) become the center of conversation? Sure, keep science as the tent poles for reasoned policy, but centered around people-centric holistic solutions geared at sustainable development. Does the outcome of the debate change if we reverse course and look at the issue through a human lens? Climate change scientists (not surprisingly) defer on man's contribution to climate change in the grand scheme of the Earth's climate cycles, some dating back thousands of years before man's started producing GHGs.

The UN's Zero Draft documents is heavy on language calling for inclusive sustainable development, where all participants get equal participation and contribution. The document also highlights the need to connect the two spheres of the conversation by maximizing the use of ICT as a tool for development communication. Easier access to information for those at the bottom of the climate change pyramid could facilitate equal discourse between those that have the knowledge and solutions and those lacking climate change facts, data, and research.

@Connect4Climate~Due to high illiteracy levels (75%). Climate Change may seem an alien word to many pple in my locality!

— Abdisalan Ahmed (@Abdisalan_Ahmed) February 8, 2012

ICTs coincidentally, also address a little talked about barrier to a level discourse. As one of our social media followers, Abdisalan Ahmed from Kenya, pointed out on Twitter that "due to high illiteracy levels (75%). Climate Change may seem an alien word to many pple in my locality!"

What do you think, could the use of ICTs help close this gap?

The authors explore the many successful strategies and measures for climate resilience and low carbon development that communities and leaders have pursued at the subnational level. They draw on the rich and practical experiences of CDKN’s project partners and the broader ICLEI network.

They argue that the battle for climate compatible development will be won or lost in provinces, districts and cities. There are distinct challenges at subnational level– for example, future climate data for local and subnational levels is more uncertain than at larger scales, and subnational decision-makers face intense local pressure to act on the negative impacts of climate extremes and disasters. There are also unique opportunities. Subnational decision-makers often have a sound understanding of climate trends in their area, based on first-hand experience and local and indigenous knowledge. They have a good sense of solutions that are effective in the local context and they have the ability to mobilise local resources for implementation, including people’s time and knowledge.

Effective strategies for subnational climate compatible development respond to these challenges and build on these opportunities. Such strategies:

● use flexible modes of decision-making available at the subnational level to go beyond national mandates for climate compatible development and to innovate solutions.

● raise the awareness of climate ‘champions’ in subnational government and bolster their climate leadership.

● build a strong case for action through effective, locally relevant communications about climate change impacts and the benefits of low-carbon, climate-resilient development.

● mobilise local expertise and support including in-kind resources, and forge alliances among civil society, businesses, researchers (including climate scientists), government decision-makers and civil servants.

● secure additional resources from outside the locality where necessary.

CDKN’s and ICLEI’s programme experience demonstrates that these strategies yield promising results at the subnational level. However, the scale of the global climate challenge is huge. Alone, individual subnational initiatives do not achieve enough. It will take a global transformation in the way that society approaches development if we are to achieve a low-carbon, climate-resilient future. Successful subnational climate compatible strategies must be rapidly scaled up and scaled out to meet this challenge.

The paper will be launched at CDKN’s session ‘Tackling Poverty and Climate Change in Cities‘ at the World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia on 10 April 2014.

Download the full copy of the paper: Close to home: Subnational strategies for climate compatible development.

[video:https://vimeo.com/142404010]

 

An intimate dialogue promoted by Connect4Climate, a global climate change communication program founded by the World Bank and the Italian Ministry of Environment, took place on the Chile Pavilion at EXPO Milan. The Chile Pavilion, hosts of the discussion on sustainability in universal exhibitions, achieved 3 out of 4 categories of the "Towards a Sustainable EXPO" award, on October the 13th.

The event was an opportunity to share experiences and know-how among stakeholders from different industries and sectors on their roles in advancing sustainability. The discussion highlighted the importance of events like this in the fight against climate change - see participants here.

“There is not just an agreement, people are starting to connect together, together with this EXPO to move towards the next EXPOs in order to have a different approach to sustainability and really engage in making people aware of this huge problem, climate change,” said Massimiliano Falcone, Connect4Climate’s team member, summarizing the event.

After a brief introduction of Augusto Aninat, Director ProChile Italy, and Connect4Climate’s Massimiliano Falcone, the high-level panel discussion was facilitated by John Wyse, a BBC World News Speaker. He lead the dialogue along two main topics: technological innovation to tackle climate change and the role of traditional values to transition to a clean resilient future.

Technological innovation, at both a production and outcome (product) levels, were highlighted as climate solutions, to reduce CO2, mitigate fine dust, and other environmental impacts. The role of sustainability in business was mentioned as a paramount concept to measure up to.  Andrea Boragno, CEO of Connect4Climate’s partner Alcantara emphasized: “There is a strong idea and conviction that sustainability is not in conflict with the long term goal of increasing the economic and financial value of the company.” He went on the highlight that the final consumer has a huge say in advancing sustainability in business through their purchasing power, for sustainable products.

Presentation during the CLIMATEXPO discussion highlighting role fo solar. Credit: Roberto Razeto

The dialogue took a turn to introduce and discuss the concept of “Smart Cities,” and the role of traditional values in a global urbanized society. Farming and agriculture in a primarily Urbanized Global society can provide opportunities for societies to create new business and organizations, and explore new methods and improvements in technology, on the basis of traditional values that emphasize Social Capital and Human Cohesion.

The links between the role of the EXPO in address climate change and promoting sustainability were explored in the context of the recently announced Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN in September. “2015 is the year in which all the countries in the world have assumed their commitments and so EXPO could become and appointment, every 5 years, of disclosure, sharing all he progress made towards the achieving the SDGs,” said Maurizio Zollo, Dean’s Chaired Professor in Strategy and Sustainability at the Bocconi University. He emphasized that universal exhibitions could be the sites for governments to come together and showcase the progress they are making towards achieving the SDGs.

The role of business in advancing the sustainability is thought to be crucial. Maurizio Zollo underlined during the discussion that all the SDG goals “require companies fundamentally change the way that they behave the way they manage their businesses. Managers have to rethink what they are doing and how their companies are run, the role of the company within their social and environmental context, which requires a lot of willingness to innovate and to experiment.”

There’s no question, the environmental and social challenges of the 21st century are complex. While design alone may not solve all of these issues, Big Future Group believes that many of the adverse effects of climate change can be mitigated by sustainable design. As designers, we hope to address not only the immediate physical effects of climate change on communities, but also provide a framework of practices that advances quality of life issues with minimal impact to respective ecosystems over time, with specific attention to sustainable practices that minimize human impact on water, land, energy consumption, and biodiversity. These sustainable building methodologies can help people adapt, and sometimes even benefit from the effects of extreme environmental conditions that have become the new normal.

While sustainable design remains at the forefront of climate related dialogue, Big Future Group approaches the conversation from a different perspective: a multi-disciplinary collaboration of research and expertise. The founders—Sharon Davis, Julie Farris, Arun Rimal, and Eric Rothstein—met while working on the design and construction of an award-winning Women’s Opportunity Center in Kayonza, Rwanda. Together, they represent fields of architecture, engineering, hydrology and landscape architecture, to collectively explore multi-faceted solutions to food shortages, flood/drought, deforestation, unavailable access to energy, poor sanitation and health conditions, and an increasing carbon output.

Their work in Rwanda is a good example of the work they’ll be doing moving forward. The project, sponsored by Women for Women International, is made up of 20,000 sq ft of space covered by roofs that serve to shade and shelter women, and simultaneously harvest rainwater with durable cisterns. Rwandan women living in the area handcrafted a half-million bricks on site in order to build classrooms, which are made up of curved walls that create intimate communal spaces. The project also incorporates a landscape designed to nourish the community, a communal kitchen, lodging, and a marketplace to sell goods made there. While working together on this transformative project, the four decided that the Women’s Opportunity Center project was just the beginning, and that more work was to be done. In June of 2011, they founded Big Future Group.

Utilizing innovation-generating design methodologies, Big Future Group will develop achievable goals for specific community-based projects, and multi-disciplinary teams will research, design, and build sustainable infrastructure for areas in need. Big Future Group’s projects are focused on scalable, replicable and transferable measures, as these practices are essential to sustainability and viability.  The projects also aim to serve each community’s unique site conditions, values and communal needs, which can often lead to unexpected opportunities for innovation, essential for future progress.

To learn more about Big Future Group and their initiatives, visit www.bigfuturegroup.org.

This upcoming week, New York City will be the center of gravity for action against climate change. On September 23rd, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host the United Nations Climate Summit, where world leaders from governments, civil society, the private sector and financial institutions are invited to catalyze ambitious action for a global climate agreement.

There is a massive, global demand for urgent solutions to address climate change. It affects people’s lives every day, in each and every country, with dramatic consequences. Climate change is no longer a local issue; it is everywhere, and it’s happening now.

That is why this week, besides the UN Climate Summit, New York will host the biggest climate demonstration in history, the People’s Climate March. Thousands of people from all parts of the United States will flood the streets of Manhattan to call for their leaders to take ambitious action to tackle climate change.

Global Unification the Gambia (GU) is a youth-led, community-based, research and development organisation, established 2006.  In partnership with relevant institutions, our objective is to provide education, skills and strengthen the capacity of young people, groups working with youths and local communities to enable them participate effectively in sustainable development processes of The Gambia. We work with young people and local communities, supporting their efforts to move out of poverty, access quality health care services and adapt to the impact of climate change.

In 2008, we decided redirected more of our efforts towards creating awareness on environmental protection, sustainable management of forest resources, biodiversity conservation and climate change solutions geared to reducing the threats to livelihood security among local communities cause by the changing climate. As result in 2009, we developed a five year action plan that is dedicated to climate change education and creating pro-poor climate action projects. Under this strategy, we do sensitisation, trained traditional communicators, youth leaders, women cooperative societies on adaptation skills and support public access to climate change information. We lobby policy makers at national and international level for policy shift toward green economy, promote youth participation on discussion and decision on sustainable development issues in the country.

Some of our previous projects are climate talk; rethinking our future, a year radio advocacy program, National Stakeholders Workshop on community based adaptation, which was a platform to identify barriers to adaptation in the Gambia and proposed sustainable solution, Green School initiatives, which promote tree planting in schools, where we award prices to most green school. We also celebrate major international days such as world environment day, earth day, earth hour etc.  Please visit this link for update list of past activities.