Environmental Sustainability

In January 2024, ChildFund and Dow launched the Regreening Africa Project to counter the impacts of environmental degradation and improve the resilience and adaptability of youth,women, and children in Nairobi, Makueni, and Kajiado counties in Kenya.

The Kshs.13 million initiative brings together partners to support youth and women in establishing tree nurseries as sustainable, income-generating enterprises and a means of restoring ecosystems. Youth will be trained to manage commercial fruit and agroforestry tree nurseries, which will be sold to schools, individuals, and communities, advancing reforestation, environmental conservation, and the creation of greener, healthier communities. The fruit trees include avocados, oranges, mangoes, and moringa.

The launch was presided over by the Principal Secretary of Forestry, State Department for Forestry Climate Change and Forestry Gitonga Mugambi, who called for collaboration by all stakeholders to combat climate change. “In the face of our shared environmental challenges, let us unite as stewards of our country. As stipulated in my ministry’s Strategic Plan (2023 – 2027) and the National Climate Change Action Plan, the urgency of climate action demands a collaborative effort from stakeholders, governments, communities, the private sector, and NGOs alike. Let this be a shared journey where each contribution, big or small, becomes a vital step towards a greener, more resilient nation.”

Over the last two decades, climate change has exacerbated resource-based conflicts and communal violence mainly in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) in Kenya. In September 2021 the Government of Kenya declared the drought affecting most parts of the country a national disaster. Widespread livestock death, low livestock productivity, very low cropping levels and sharp declines in purchasing power have created large food consumption gaps and high levels of acute malnutrition among millions of households in eastern and northern Kenya. Youth, women, and their children in arid and semi-arid regions bear the brunt of these challenges. They make up the largest proportion of people whose livelihoods are dependent on rapidly degrading land and livestock.

“Climate change poses a significant risk to the social economic development of communities in Kenya and Africa as a whole. Dow is actively addressing this challenge by collaborating with non-governmental organizations, governments, and local communities to foster collective efforts,” said Leonard Kareko Dow Eastern Africa Managing Director. “By implementing well-crafted solutions, forging cross-sector partnerships, and investing in innovation and infrastructure, we can collectively confront and overcome the challenges posed by climate change and create resilience in our community.”

“This project represents an important milestone in our drive to promote community-led climate action and tackle the high level of youth unemployment across Africa by creating green jobs,” said Chege Ngugi, ChildFund International Africa Regional Director. “Regreening Africa will pave the way for decent employment while simultaneously building climate resilience and paving the way toward a greener, more environmentally sustainable future, championed by our vibrant youth and women.

ChildFund and its implementing partners are optimistic about greater collaboration among various government stakeholders, industry, civil society organizations, and international organizations in the climate change action space for collective synergies that will safeguard the welfare of communities and children.