OVER HALF OF THE WORLD'S 40 MOST CLIMATE-VULNERABLE COUNTRIES ARE IN AFRICA.
Across the continent, climate change has led to more frequent and severe droughts, jeopardizing crop yields and exacerbating food insecurity. Changing rainfall patterns have increased the risk of flooding, displacing communities, damaging infrastructure, and straining resources for disaster response and recovery. Logging and agricultural expansion jeopardize critical forests, and about 65% of Africa’s farmland is already degraded by unsustainable farming and grazing practices.
Recognizing that these crises impact women the most — especially through displacement and risk of exploitation — WEA works with our regional Program Leads in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda to increase women leaders' capacity to implement climate mitigation solutions that promote community resilience, launch eco-enterprises and achieve economic independence, and restore and protect critical ecosystems and water sources.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The highest annual deforestation rate worldwide in recent years was in Africa, 50% of which was observed in eastern and southern Africa, where 2.2 million hectares of forest are lost per year.
35% of people in Africa are living below the standard poverty line of roughly $2 per day. There are approximately 127 women living in poverty for every 100 men.
West Africa's rapidly growing population creates increasing demand for water, in a region where millions of people do not have access to potable water and where sanitation services are limited by cost and infrastrucutre.
Eco-Entrepreneurship: Growing women-led eco-enterprises that protect and restore ecosystems, increase income, improve health, and strengthen women’s leadership and wellbeing.
Forest Conservation: Supporting holistic forest restoration and protection that focuses on regenerating depleted tropical forests, empowers local communities, and sequesters carbon.
Climate Resilience: Strengthening community climate resilience through trainings and adoption of climate-smart technologies.
EAST AFRICA PROGRAM LEADS
WEA and WWANC work together to grow and scale grassroots, women-let climate solutions through forest restoration, supporting eco-businesses, and investing in women’s leadership address climate change.
Kenya - Women in Water and Natural Resource Conservation (WWANC)
WEA and CHT deliver trainings on climate-smart technologies and practices such as agroforestry, climate-resilient agriculture, and sustainable natural resource management tailored to the needs and priorities of women in the Volcanoes Region, a fragile and critical ecosystem that is home to endangered gorillas.
Rwanda - Conservation Heritage Turambe (CHT)
WEA and BUWEA work with rural communities in Tanzania to identifying and monitor conservation areas, conduct seminars, train and support women to establish tree nurseries, and empower local groups to deliver training in other communities.
Tanzania - Bukoba Women's Empowerment Association (BUWEA)
Alongside UWWI, WEA's Uganda Program seeks to inform, sensitize and empower women, youth, and the general population about the practical and context-specific, sustainable mechanisms of food production, alternative income sources, and environmental management.
