Help Women in Kenya Confront Climate Change

Climate disasters disrupt communities’ access to basic resources and essential support services, with disproportionate consequences to women, girls, and other marginalized groups. For this reason, risks of gender-based violence increase in the wake of environmental disasters, particularly in communities on the frontlines of climate chaos. Creating awareness about these linkages is essential for preventing violence, addressing the root causes of inequality, and delivering support to survivors.

With your donations, MADRE invests in intergenerational climate programming that addresses the connections between gender-based violence and climate breakdown. This year, over 1,000 Indigenous women and girls in Kenya participated in gender-based violence prevention learning sessions facilitated by MADRE’s partner, the Indigenous Information Network (IIN). These trainings provided participants with a basic understanding of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the landmark General Recommendation No.39 (2022) on the rights of Indigenous women and girls. Together, these documents address the specific, often intersecting forms of discrimination, violence, and human rights violations faced by Indigenous women and girls. Human rights education is a fundamental first step towards ensuring that Indigenous women and girls can enjoy all their human rights, including their collective rights to land, culture, and self-determination.

By highlighting connections between gender-based violence and climate change through a human rights-based framework, this activity equipped women and girls with the tools to identify, address, and advocate for more inclusive and effective responses to both issues. Following the training, the community strongly endorsed the inclusion of young Indigenous women and girls in these programs, recognizing the tangible impact of IIN’s engagement. 

As our partner shared: 

“The women and elders have strongly recommended that we continue fitting in girls and youth in our activities because it has brought positive change. They highlighted that the impact was visible and especially on sexual and reproductive health. [Participation in the training] has prevented school drop out, reduced the rate of early pregnancies, and increased interest in girls' education.”

Your donations resource the leadership of Indigenous women and girls fighting for climate and gender justice. Thank you!