Women & Climate Change
Women and girls face inequality every day, especially in poor communities worldwide. Climate change -- and now the coronavirus pandemic -- are making the inequality worse. Gains that we have made in recent years are being eroded.
The impacts of climate change often leave families struggling to earn enough money. Poor harvests or disasters can deplete whatever savings they had. And when a family is struggling, parents have to make tough choices. Many pull their daughters out of school to work or marry young.
Amidst these growing challenges, women and girls are stepping up to make change happen. Around the world, women are starting and expanding businesses through CWS programs. They are building livelihoods, savings and ultimately resilience. Girls are enrolling in school and studying for brighter futures. So are older women who did not finish school and are learning how to read later in life.
We must address the climate crisis. And women and girls are crucial in making it happen.
Latest Updates
Working together to mitigate the toll of climate change in Indonesia
Most families in North Pakuli village in Indonesia make a living through agriculture. They primarily grow rice, but important secondary crops include corn, cocoa and coconut. There are two main rice harvests each year, and the other crops are harvested based on their respective growing seasons. This way of life has been under threat since September 2018. A massive earthquake …
Ecumenical Advocacy Days Recap | Women and Climate Change
At an Ecumenical Advocacy Days workshop last week in observance of the 2021 Earth Day theme “Earth Restored,” two speakers passionately called for increased investments in women led programs as part of the global strategy to address climate change. Mary Obiero, the director of the Relief, Development and Protection team with CWS Africa, described how women farmers were equipped to …
As Hardships Grow, so Does a Harmful Practice
In many cultures across the globe, female genital mutilation – or FGM – has long been practiced as a rite of passage marking the transition of girls to womanhood. It is often considered a necessary steppingstone to marriage and motherhood. On the contrary, FGM is now increasingly understood to be a painful, unnecessary tradition without medical benefits. Its harmful effects …
Resources
Promoting Rural Women's Leadership
Using Gender Transformative Approaches to Transform Communities, Address Gender-Based Violence and Build Climate Resilience
ACT Alliance for Gender Justice
Website for the Gender Justice Programme working to ensure gender equality and identity as common values and inalienable human rights: actalliance.org/gender-home/