From Passion to Action: A Journey in Activism

I started to hear about Climate activism through a man called mzee Omar, who told me the ocean is becoming too warm. He had lived in Mombasa his entire life and he sparked my curiosity. What could be making the ocean too warm, and what could I do about it? It seems too big of a problem, I thought, the ocean is so vast and big, whatever is making it too warm sounded like a mammoth problem.

Learning that greenhouse gases were responsible for what was happening to the oceans sparked my activism. Plus, Mombasa had become too hot and was unbearable. But what could an individual like me do?

The damage that had been done seemed irreversible, clearly this damage has been going on for a long time. But coming from the coast, I realised that there was something I could do. I realised that I could be part of solving the problem, I just didn't know if it would have an impact. But it was worth trying…

I embarked on a journey to reduce my carbon footprint. I walked more, composted food remains, shared rides and much more. But then I discovered the power of Mangrove Forests. Mangroves lie on the coast of Mombasa; they are trees that grow on the salty waters. I realised that I had been seeing these trees all my life, but I had never known their power!

Along the way I co-founded an organization called Blue Earth Organisation. It’s been an amazing journey. I have met many people and inspired my own community through the power of unity and nature-based solutions, such as mangroves. Together, we have managed to restore degraded areas and bring back biodiversity by planting more than 30,000 mangroves. This has been our climate action, our way of taking away carbon emissions.

Climate change, I have realised, affects us differently. It affects women differently from men, boys and girls, and even countries. Countries like mine, Kenya, contribute very little to global emissions, yet we are faced with the harshest reality of the climate crisis, from severe droughts to flooding to extreme heatwaves. This is climate injustice because it is the marginalised communities who are affected the most, since they don't have the capacity to respond when disaster strikes. Women particularly lose out because they are usually responsible for gathering natural resources like water and firewood, meaning that if these items become scarce, they may need to travel further for them. This means more time spent doing unpaid domestic labour and, in some areas, greater risks of gender-based violence. This leaves women more vulnerable and can exclude them from decision-making, even though reports show that they are powerful agents in the fight against climate change.

Women's involvement ensures diverse voices are heard, and their firsthand experiences with these challenges make them powerful advocates for climate justice. The traditional knowledge they hold contributes significantly to sustainability and climate resilience as well.

Every day I am inspired to see small actions create big impacts. My motivation for young people is that your actions today can be our big hope for tomorrow. We have a planet to protect, not only for us, but for future generations. We need to look at nature as our source of hope and peace and we must live in harmony with it. What gives me hope is the other young climate activists I have met on my journey. I am motivated by their fight for a better tomorrow! LET’S CONTINUE STAYING IN THE FIGHT!