Communities on the Rise

Kenya, Laikipia and Nyeri · Pioneer Child Development Programme (PCDP)

In the drought-hit regions of Laikipia and Nyeri, access to water decides whether daily life holds together. It affects the harvest, school attendance, health and, in the end, whether families can stay at all. The project looks for answers in climate resilience, food security and sustainable farming, through methods rooted in the community.

The project teaches climate impact and biodiversity. It supports women, children and young people to lead climate work themselves, and runs preparedness exercises with farmers, school students and local leaders. A central part is bringing communities, authorities and civil society together when climate measures are planned and followed up.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director John Wahome Kingori and local coordinator Loise Wairimu Kagotho
Website: pioneerchild.org
Participants: 8,900, of whom 5,200 are children

Expertise: water · irrigation · solar energy · agronomy · food security · business collaboration

M.A.T.H.

Kenya, Nairobi · Action for Sustainability Initiative (AFOSI)

Mazingira, Afya, Tumaini na Haki yetu — our environment, our health, our hope, our right.

The project works in APBET schools in the informal settlements of Kibera and Mukuru — schools outside the formal system, where a large share of Nairobi’s children are educated today. The approach is technology-driven: STEM teaching, digital platforms, creative coding and green entrepreneurship.

The aim is for Kenya’s commitment to education for sustainable development to reach these schools too. Teaching weaves together poverty, human rights, innovation, health and climate. Students run environmental campaigns, take part in political processes, start climate clubs at their schools and try their hand at circular-economy business.

Speaking on 28 September: project manager Esther Mwikali Kiilu and field officer Ivy Awuor Omondi
Website: afosi.org
Participants: 5,800, of whom 4,000 are children

Expertise: education research · education technology · STEM · green innovation · circular economy · informal settlements

CLIMATE Bangladesh

Bangladesh, Shariatpur · Shariatpur Development Society (SDS)

Naria and Zajira are among the areas of Bangladesh where climate and disaster risks are growing fastest. The project is a direct response, putting children and young people in charge of adaptation and disaster risk reduction, with dedicated work for girls and people with disabilities.

The project brings climate, biodiversity and environment into school teaching. It supports children, young people, communities and civil society organisations to push on climate. It strengthens climate-smart livelihoods, runs disaster preparedness exercises in schools and communities, and hosts innovation labs on green and nature-based solutions.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director Rabeya Begum and project manager Basudeb Chakrabortty
Website: sdsbd.org
Participants: 5,900, of whom 1,600 are children

Expertise: nature-based solutions · disaster risk reduction · anticipatory preparedness · accessibility · inclusion

Youth CARE

Bangladesh, Barguna · Nazrul Smriti Sangsad (NSS)

In the coastal communities of Barguna, climate-driven flooding is not a future concern but a present reality. The project supports children, young people and adults to take part in climate adaptation, biodiversity protection and environmental work, with the emphasis on rights and influence.

The project spreads knowledge of environmental rights and makes it practically possible for people to shape the policies and public services that affect climate and environment. NSS brings long experience of climate adaptation, women’s empowerment, disaster management and support to local authorities.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director Shahabuddin Panna and project coordinator Shaikh Kabir Hosen
Participants: 2,700, of whom 500 are children

Expertise: coastal climate adaptation · environmental law · participatory processes · local governance

Agents of Change

Bolivia, Oruro and Cobija · Estrella del Sur

Working in peri-urban areas, the project supports young people as leaders in climate work. It brings climate and environment into the curriculum and lets students develop and run their own classroom projects.

Teenagers and young adults learn how to influence decisions, how to think differently and how to start sustainable businesses. Young women get dedicated support to run green enterprises. The project brings teachers, migrant communities and local authorities together.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director Alvaro Waldo Vargas Martinez and coordinator Omar Mendieta Condori
Website: estrelladelsurbolivia.org
Participants: 9,940, of whom 7,680 are children

Expertise: curriculum development · youth entrepreneurship · social innovation · migration

CLIMATE Ethiopia

Ethiopia, Dugda woreda · Dugda Children’s and Family Charitable Organization (DCFCO)

Across ten villages and neighbourhoods, young people train for green jobs and step forward as climate leaders. The project also creates forums where residents can put demands to local decision-makers.

Schools teach climate and environment. Children and young people lead climate initiatives of their own. Women and young adults build livelihoods that can withstand a changing climate. A dedicated strand gives children, young people and women a say in municipal planning.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director Tamiru Angassa and project coordinator Zinash Fitala
Website: dcfco.org
Participants: 10,000, of whom 6,000 are children

Expertise: vocational training · green jobs · local governance · young people’s participation in decisions

Climate resilience and child protection through education

Ethiopia, Silti Aynage · Community and Children Family Development Organization (CCFDO, formerly ACFDO)

Across sixteen villages and small towns, women, young people, people with disabilities and children build their capacity to meet a changing climate. The project works with climate-proof farming methods, sustainable livelihoods and independent income.

Children get safe spaces and knowledge of their rights. School clubs try out climate-smart methods and press for change locally. Women, young people and people with disabilities are supported to start green businesses. The project also works to give their perspectives weight in local climate policy, in line with Ethiopia’s national Green Legacy Initiative.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director Girma Debebe Mekuriya and project coordinator Biruk Habtamu Gebre
Website: aynagechild.org
Participants: 7,500, of whom 2,800 are children

Expertise: micro-enterprise · disability and inclusion · child protection · policy alignment

Healing Forest

Ukraine, ten frontline areas · All-Ukrainian Charity ”Child Well-being Fund Ukraine” (CWBF)

Healing Forest works with the mental health of children aged four to seven in areas of ongoing or intense fighting, and is bringing the method into the Ukrainian preschool system. The need far outstrips the capacity: fewer than five per cent of war-affected children in that age group have access to a school psychologist, and the support that does exist is aimed first at adults.

The method uses nature as a therapeutic tool, combined with storytelling and creative expression. Children that age do not process trauma by talking about it. Nature, play and movement become the way in instead, and the children rebuild their bonds with peers. The project trains preschool staff, supports caregivers and works with local authorities on what the war is doing to children’s development. It is also testing an approach to climate awareness, a natural step for a method already built on nature.

Speaking on 28 September: Executive Director Tetiana Basiuk and project manager Yuliya Maliyenko
Website: childfund.org.ua
Participants: 4,250, of whom 2,000 are children

Expertise: child psychology · trauma research · preschool pedagogy · outdoor education · nature-based health · psychosocial support in conflict