NMYCW Launches Climate Action Campaign, Wetland Protection and Women’s Right
By Mohamed Konneh
With funding from the Green Grant, the Network Movement on Youth and Children’s Welfare (NMYCW) on Friday 16th February launched the campaign on Climate Action, Protection of Wetlands and Women’s Rights.
The launched was geared towards Climate Change Resilience project title: Empowering Rural Women Vegetable Farmers through Advocacy and Lobbying.
Launching the project, the Deputy Chairperson of the Western Area Rural District Council, Robert Brown thanked NMYCW for the project adding that climate change, protection of wetlands and women vegetable farmers are important.
He said all wetlands within the rural district is under the supervision of the council and the reason why the council is happy for a project of this nature.
‘We are challenge with people using the wetland for construction of houses. We need collaboration in this direction especially with the environment ministry, the ministry of land and other agencies in this direction,’ he said.
Speaking earlier on the National Coordinator, Women in Mining, Esther Finda Kandeh said women farmers are very important.
‘When we talk about natural resource governance women are key. Also when we talk about natural resource governance we talk about climate change. Climate change is the change in weather patterns and our action as a people affects the environment,’ she said.
Madam Kandeh said Climate Change is both human and natural cause and that Africa is suffering as a result of action from big western countries.
‘The way our plants use to grow is not happening any more. We have destroys our waterways and continue to cut down trees without replacing them. This is affecting us the reason most stream have dried up, she said.
She called on participants to deviate from some of the activities that disturb the climate and try to inculcate the habit of protecting the climate.
‘The land itself is a living being and we have to care for it. We now have the new land act. People continue to sell lands where our farmers do their farming activities. There is every need to protect the wetlands. We need to pay attention to these lands because this is where our women do their backyard gardening,’ she said.
Madam Kandeh said anything that affects women affect the country and that if women do not have a place to do their little farming activities how will they be able to feed their children and make a living.
Doris Webber from the Women Network for Environmental Sustainability in her statement said before now they use to see butterflies
‘We no longer see them. This is telling us that things are going bad. We have destroyed our forests and pushing away all of these beautiful insects. We all saw what happens in Motormeh, this is as a result of climate change,’ Madam Webber.
She said we have destroys the wetlands where women use to do their farming activities and that the western rural including western area have all gone.
Madam Webber noted that the human activity is seriously affecting the environment adding that these kinds of engagement are important.
She said women in this part of the country are suffering as a lack of land and that most of the women have lost their land to either land grabbers or government officials for the construction of houses.
The National Coordinator, NMYCW, Haji Bah giving the overview of the project expresses gratitude to WARDC for the inauguration of our Climate Change project, with a particular focus on empowering rural vegetable farmers in the Western Area Rural District.
Mr. Bah said the Network Movement for Youth and Children's Welfare appreciate the motivational remarks and pledges to fight for women's rights and environmental protection made by the Chairperson of the event, Professor Fredline M’Cormack-Hale (President 50/50 and Head of Advocacy and Policy at IGR).
He said the project aims to target the communities of Grafton, Waterloo, and Newton and have received great participation from various stakeholders, including chiefs, petty traders, vegetable farmers from the three communities, civil society, and devolved functions partners: climate change, agriculture, MGCA, and environment.
Mr. Bah said the agricultural sector, which includes crops, fisheries, livestock, and forestry all forms the backbone of the country's economy.
‘The main aim of this project is to compliment government effort through the local council (WARDC) and help mitigate the fragile ecosystem in the country, which is already experiencing erratic rainfall patterns and rising temperatures leading to seasonal, and flash floods, water shortages, low crop yields and mudslides, Mr. Bah said.
He said before the Grant, they were working with some members of these communities, women complaint of violence, grab of wetland also arrested by the security all these became treat to their lives and their families.
The Proposed interventions include the establishment of advocacy movements which will champion Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation efforts for the district. The project activities include Work with the Western Area Rural District Council to access the wet land available to vegetable farmers who use it for farming purposes.
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