|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife in partnership with SNV and with support from the NDC Partnership through UNOPS implemented a one-year project to enhance the capacities of women, children, and people with disabilities to participate in climate action.
It has emerged that the project was successful in amplifying the role of youth, women, and persons with disabilities in implementing Zimbabwe’s Nationally Determined Contribution, National Adaptation Plan, and other climate-related policies and strategies.
This came to light at the Project Closure Event on 29 January 2025 which was held at the Rainbow Towers Hotel and Conference Centre in Harare.
In his address, Henry Chivhanga, the Director of the Disability Amalgamation Community Trust (DACT), said there are members with various types of disability in their organisation who got training on climate change that they cascaded to communities.
“I will cite a community in Mushandike. We managed to have a co-operative and there are 70 persons with disabilities of various types of disabilities who are now undergoing a farmer training course. Now, after teaching them about climate change, we have infused the issue of climate change in their syllabus as they are being taught Master Farmer training. And it’s a requirement for them to graduate, they have to plant at least three trees in their homesteads.
“We are also working with SNV to develop a marketing strategy for our business. We are working on a business plan for our business,” Chivhanga said.
Kelvin Dube, an environmental officer from the Zimbabwe Sunshine Group said their organisation is spearheading a youth-oriented program that is based on sustainable waste management and climate change.
“So through this process, we’ve linked awareness programs and educational facilities that helped us to preserve more climate change. For me, it has impacted me financially, firstly, on employment. As an investment lawyer, I can now work here in Harare. It has also impacted social low-income communities for job creation, be it temporarily or permanently,” Dube said.
Gugulethu Mhlanga, a programme officer with the Zimbabwe Youth Council said her organisation plays a pivotal role in making sure that the youth and people with disabilities are actively involved in climate change issues.
“We also make sure that the youth also have some platforms where they speak about these climate change issues. For example, the use of the Junior Parliament where children share their views and also how climate change impacts them daily. As the Zimbabwe Youth Council, we make sure that we advocate for youth so that they participate effectively in climate change and also align with the national youth policy where youth are supposed to be actively involved in environmental sustainability.
“I also think that we as youth are part of this change in raising issues on climate change where we are supposed to protect our environment daily.
matter any. But one thing that also stands out on this is the issue around nothing for us without us. We have to sit at the table and our voice, everyone’s voice needs to be heard. And not only that, we’re looking at the issues around disability,” Mhlanga said.
Deborah Chinyanga, the Deputy Director of Programmes Coordination in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development, said they are implementing the Climate Change Gender Action Plan which recognises the way that women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change.
“The plan works towards addressing the specific vulnerabilities of women and girls and it supports the adaptation, how they can adapt to the shocks of climate change. We also have the national gender policy in our Ministry which also looks at addressing those vulnerabilities and works towards mainstreaming gender in the policy. With other Ministries, we also have community-based initiatives with a focus on empowering women.
“We look at gender-responsive climate actions and how women can be involved in climate change so our future actions are based on the way we see the effects of climate change. Women are heavily burdened by the prolonged drought where they need to travel long distances to find water and they have that burden of knowing what the family has to eat so we do this now at income-generating activities to reduce the effects possibly also of GBV which they are faced with; including security and other health risks.,” Chinyanga said.
Tatenda Mutasa from the Climate Change Management Department said the Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife has the responsibility of making sure that all socio-economic sectors are climate-proofed.
“We are pushing to lessen our greenhouse gas emissions and to make sure that our communities are adapting to the changes in that climate system.
Our vision is a low-carbon and climate-resilient nation. So whatever we do within the department, we are pursuing that vision. We have quite a lot of policies, and frameworks that we have as the government that are focused on climate change, starting from the National Climate Policy itself. And right now we are finalizing the Climate Change Management Bill,” Mutasa said.
