Why do women lead rows in the face of climate disasters in Africa?

Men go to distant lands, whose rivers have not yet dried up, their beaches have not eroded and their goodness has not been exhausted, and women remain in homes that are still barely standing, gathering on their shoulders several weights, from raising young people, to bringing food, to long treacherous trips to bring water and firewood, and evenEntering violent confrontations imposed on them by the state of climatic emergency in their countries.

This is the case of many African women and girls in the marginalized rural societies in the east and west, they did not choose this fate, but were pushed to him in the absence of climate justice, and their forced to fight daily battles in order to survive.

Starting from one of the United Nations Climate Summit sessions (COP 26), which was held on November 9, to shed light on the roles that women in the continent of Africa in the face of climate change, I interviewed "science" three young leaders who lead the ranks of climate work in their countries,Forgat: a partner from Zimbabwe, Ruth Douzkoto from Ghana, and Carol Monjo from Kenya, the goal was to get to know their inspiring experiences, and how women and girls are particularly affected by climate -related disasters in their countries, and we concluded that there is no opportunity for Africa's survival and tissues without investing in teaching girls.

Education is the weapon of women in the face of climate change

What is the most important message that you were keen to deliver during your speech at the United Nations Climate Summit (Cope 26)?

Forget partner: My sisters and I were keen on the participants in the session, which was organized by the CAMFED network to which I belong - a network of women aimed at enabling girls in Zimbabwe, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi to join education - to invite the world leaders gathered to the summit to give priority to investing in girls' education;Because it is the appropriate weapon to counter climate change, the way to adapt and build flexibility and innovation in technology aimed at reducing emissions.

Our local experiences have proven that teaching girls helps countries improve their performance to face climate shocks and beyond, and enables women to become leaders of sustainable change;When the girl achieves gains in education, she acquires a ground in combating climate change, poverty and gender equality, and my personal experience is a witness to this positive impact.

You have an inspiring experience already..Do you explain more how you contribute to a education grant in joining work and calling for climate justice?

Forget: I grew up in my grandmother, it was over the eighty and has limited resources that we live in a subsistence, just like most farmers in marginalized rural societies in Africa, so she could not bear the costs of my messengers to high school, and I was about to leak from education when the Camvid network interferedI gave me an education scholarship in an internal school, then I joined the network and obtained a scholarship from another institution to obtain a scientific degree in agricultural sciences from the University of Earth in Costa Rica, and I completed my path and obtained a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Education enabled me to take measures, lead climate work, and change my community, and contribute to taking policy -making decisions in high -level discussions that call for investment in education.

I also used my education to build flexibility and contribute to adapting the climate in my community through my participation in preparing the agricultural guide, through which more than 35 thousand farmers have been trained so far, they are training dozens of other farmers, which creates a multiplier effect in the climate smart agriculture.

I also work to reduce food waste through Chashi Foods, which is a social and environmental institution that I have participated in its founding three years ago with the aim of reducing food waste through agricultural treatment innovations, we increase the shelf life of vegetables and fruits upOur products help enhance food security;We were able to provide 25 tons of products instead of going to the waste dump.We trained more than 250 farmers on healthy food drying operations.

How are the less fortunate girls to obtain educational opportunities with climate threats?

Forget: Heat waves, droughts and floods increase the expansion of gender inequality gap, and reduce the chances of girls in completing their education, either because of the destruction of families and obstructing their ability to gain decent income and then teach girls or destroy schools during floods or hurricanes, and women are forced to leaveThe responsibility of homework and children for younger girls in order to go out to bring water or firewood, after men leave away from the local villages to search for alternative livelihoods.

Climate -related events in 2021 alone prevented at least 4 million girls in developing countries from completing their education, and it is expected that climate phenomena will prevent at least 12.5 million girls from completing their education by 2025, according to a report issued by the Malala Fund for Girls' right to education.

In the case of floods, which leave millions of people homeless, many girls are married at an early age to reduce the burden on families, which endangers their future;It falls into the trap of the vicious circle of poverty.

Unlike educated girls who can lead climate work, which reduces the consequences of climate change, and increases their capacity to gain the income needed to provide food security, bear health costs, and contribute a lot to green innovations to enhance flexibility and adaptation with the climate.

It changes and it is as you depict it as a battle for survival..What are the most prominent roles played by women and girls in your community in this battle?

Zimbabwe's community was facing severe famine due to drought, and in the year before the past year, Hurricane Edi, who killed hundreds, was hit by hundreds, many people were lost, thousands of people became homeless, and the infrastructure was destroy.

ردًّا على ذلك، توصلت النساء في مجتمعي إلى العديد من حلول التكيف، على سبيل المثال، بدأنا حملات لرفع مستوى الوعي البيئي حول الكوارث المناخية مثل الفيضانات لزيادة التنبيه بالمخاطر، وقدم آخرون تبرعات بالطعام والملابس، بالإضافة إلى ذلك، قامت شبكة كامفيد (التي تقدم الدعم المالي والاجتماعي للفتيات من المرحلة الابتدائية حتى المرحلة الجامعية وما بعدها) بتوسيع نطاق برنامج دليل الزراعة الذكية مناخيًّا؛ لمساعدة المزارعين الريفيين على أن يصبحوا أكثر مرونة، بما في ذلك إدخال الحبوب المقاوِمة للجفاف، ​​وتقنيات ري دقيقة منخفضة التكلفة، مثل استخدام الزجاجات البلاستيكية المعاد تدويرها في الري بالتنقيط، والمواقد الخشبية عالية الكفاءة في استهلاك الوقود، ساهم كل هذا كثيرًا في بناء القدرة على الصمود وتقديم الإغاثة في مواجهة أزمة تغيُّر المناخ هذه.

When a man leaves, the woman takes on all roles

When did you decide that you have your own voice in working and calling for climate justice?

Ruth Douzkoto: Everything started from my villages (Shama Beach) in the western region of Ghana, she used to be calm, but the worst happened when sea level rose due to climate change and more than half of the city eroded, although I was not affected, it was on the neighbors Bring their purposes to our house and even sleeping there, not only the displacement of many people, but since hunting was the main source of income, fishermen could also go to hunting, which made the livelihoods very difficult in the city, I felt very sad and decided to know What caused sea level to rise, and I realized that it was one of the many climate changes, and then I decided to have a voice.

What effects did the city erode left on the conditions of women and girls in your village?

Ruth: Girls in my community mostly depend on fishing to meet their school needs, and since then many of them have become dependent on males to get food and even shelter, which exposes them to sexual exploitation in exchange for food and shelter or leads them to pregnancy, and all this of course affects formNegative to their education and their entire life.

Also, in most cases, after the erosion of the beaches, men flee to another place in search of the sources of livelihood, while women are obligated to stay in the same case because of their children, most of these men are no longer, leaving women and children suffer from the consequences of these climatic effects, which makes women Children are the most affected by climate change and the most effective as well in the confrontation lines, where women take care of and support each other. For example, after this crisis, women formed the Association of Fish Traders, as it helps the strong women who have the other hunting nets, and women also buy fish Religion and selling them in the markets to achieve some profits.

What are the most prominent local practices and policies that exacerbated the situation?

Ruth: Of course, fossil fuel projects and removal of forests for firewood are the main cause of climate change in most Africa, and what we need is enlightened policies to gradually get rid of fossil fuel projects and go to low -carbon energy sources, in addition to initiatives with the aim of adapting to climate threats,What leaders at the top of the climate must do as soon as possible, we are tired of speeches!

How do you help your community to coexist under these circumstances?

Ruth: I studied public health and environmental health, especially climate changes at the University of Health and Science in Ghana, and then started working on the ground. In addition to the definition of the progress made by Ghana in relation to the sustainable economy by making documentary videos of the green organizations active in Ghana, and my organization is also working to repair the agricultural system using solar energy to dry cocoa pills as the main crop of Kana; To avoid cutting trees for use as firewood, we have an illustrative cocoa farm that is used as an illustrative scale for the solar drying system for cocoa grains, and the cocoa usually takes about 5 years to grow, but on the illustrative farm we can shorten this period for a year and a few months.

A volunteer also worked in an organization called McKingTorch Africa, one of the leading companies in Ghana, turning waste into chairs and backpacks.

Adaptation projects and decision

In your opinion, how can women suffer from climate disasters inside and outside Africa?

Carol Monjo: By supporting marginalized societies in which women suffer greatly from climate threats and establishing adaptation projects that reduce their daily suffering, for example, women and girls in rural areas in Africa are going more than two hours a day to collect firewood for cooking in traditional firewood stoves, This does not only contribute to the removal of forests, but women, girls and children also expose internal air pollution and the risks associated with it, and have worked in many projects across sub -Saharan Africa with the institutions in which they worked to teach women clean cooking techniques and providing sustainable energy, we have trained them To build these highly efficient energy stoves, and contribute this in some way to improving their lives, and what women need is more of these projects that suit their needs..

Girls also need education that enables them to choose a better life and help their community, and this is what I tried to do, I studied many years until I got a master’s degree in environmental and energy management scienceThis helped me work to enhance the sustainable energy of home services in Kenya and Tanzania.

There is also a need to more involve women in the decision -making and policy -making process;They are the most affected category of climate disasters, and then they have the priority in making decisions to improve their lives.

It is likely during maximum climatic phenomena that women die more than men, as pregnant and breastfeeding women are exposed to food insecurity resulting from climate change, and the most salinated drinking water may cause high sea levels in early births and deaths of mothers and newborns, not to mention the effect of the resulting economic pressureOn climatic disasters on children's marriage and coercion marriage as a strategy for adaptation, according to a previous statement of the United Nations Disagreement, Michelle Bachelette.

What role can the popular movements lead to women in confronting climatic phenomena?

Carroll: No major project, no matter how much funding it is devoted to, can succeed without the presence of effective popular movements that work on the ground to make it successful, and the popular movements led by a woman who has proven that she can make a big difference, and the green belt movement that Professor and Anjari Mattai, the winner, and the winner of For the Nobel Prize, one of the examples of life change, which is one of the successful experiences based on popular movements to make a global change, and inspiring many around the world to plant trees, I always remember her saying: "The small things that citizens do are what make a difference, the small thing B is the cultivation of trees. Because the future generation deserves better than that.

Is there a final message that you want to send to world leaders to help African and the world?

Kaul: Enough of late decisions and procedures, let's encourage the future generation by making bold decisions, and starting now and immediately.