Environment & Climate Change
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MTY Championing the Environment and Climate Change
The environment refers to all parts of nature living and non- living. Environmental awareness means being informed about our natural surroundings, and understanding how our actions affect the well-being of our local and global environments.
The majority of the respondents especially from African countries indicated that issues of environment were never taken seriously when they were growing up. Only a few indicated that with changes in school curricula at different levels there was some exposure to environmental and recently climate change issues. The majority of respondents indicated that it’s important that children are exposed and take part in projects focusing on environment and climate change. As MTY Trust we concur with the expert who noted, “….being aware of the environment is important because of the increasing environmental challenges the world is experiencing like climate change, deforestation, droughts, floods, global warming, pollution, water scarcity. Understanding these issues even in childhood and making lifestyle changes that contribute to environmental conversation is what environmental awareness is all about. The majority of those who are critically exposed to these impacts of climate change are children. As an activity predominantly carried out by children, long-distance search for water deprives children of other activities, including school attendance. Incidence of cholera has also been shown to increase with increasing distance away from water points, which reduces access to both safe water and sanitation.
Bringing everyone on board including children is urgently needed. Children have considerable strengths that are a significant resource for communities and organizations and they are also effective communicators of risk and drivers of change in their communities. “ We as MTY Trust we believe knowledge of environment and climate change issues and meaningful participation from an early age can lead to an informed and skilled generation of decision-makers and greater potential for regional cooperation.
It is against this background and the realization that a number of programmes and projects have already been initiated in the country and in other African countries involving children in environment and climate change issues. The focus will therefore be partnering with different organizations on child-led adaptation and strengthening what has been done in these neglected communities and involving children using different strategies.
Empowered children in environment and climate change related issues This project seeks to ensure that children are eco-conscious and why tree planting helps the environment. It also seeks to get children to understand why activities like de-forestation are harmful to the planet earth. This programme is designed to help children love their environment and become eco-conscious from a very young age. The programme seeks to ingrain the importance of their role as stewards of the environment. This programme combines tree planting with an on- going children’s empowerment process to develop and grow-up to be responsible citizens.
To teach children the importance of tree growing.
To equip children with skills and know- how of planting and looking after the trees.
- Mobilize and conduct education and awareness raising sessions for childrenfor tree planting activities
- Implement the tree planting project under the theme “Children plant for theplanet Earth’s Future” in 3 mining communities and 6 Children’s Homes.
- Plant at least 80-100 trees per site.
- Conduct periodic monitoring and maintenance visits to check on trees planted.