The SHEAR-Kenya program is designed to address the pressing climate challenges faced by minorities, including youth, rural poor, women, and people with disabilities in Kenya. These vulnerable groups are often at the frontline of the impacts of climate change, experiencing extreme weather events, loss of biodiversity, and deforestation, which threaten their very survival. Despite being the most affected, these communities are frequently socially and economically excluded, and their vulnerabilities often remain hidden and their voices unheard.

One of the key challenges is that climate negotiations, such as the UNFCCC process and other global climate processes, are incredibly complex and difficult for local communities to fully understand. As a result, marginalized groups are excluded from participating in both grassroots climate actions and high-level policy-making. For instance, the need for women’s participation and inclusion in climate decision-making was recognized as early as COP 7 in Marrakech in 2001, but little progress has been made to fully address this issue.

SHEAR-Kenya’s Approach to Addressing these Gaps:
Empowering Marginalized Voices: The SHEAR-Kenya program works to empower marginalized communities by providing them with the knowledge and tools necessary to actively engage in climate discussions and actions. By translating complex climate change literature into local languages, including Kenyan Sign Language and Braille, we aim to make information accessible to everyone, regardless of their literacy or disability status. We will also break down the materials into simplified, age-appropriate content for young children in schools, ensuring climate education is inclusive and widely disseminated.

Building Grassroots Participation: SHEAR-Kenya will establish over 300 environmental care chapters in primary schools, secondary schools, and technical colleges across rural Kenya. These chapters will serve as hubs for climate advocacy, education, and local action, fostering a generation of young climate leaders. Students will be engaged in hands-on activities, such as tree planting, biodiversity preservation, and community awareness campaigns.

Amplifying Women’s Participation: Recognizing the specific need to elevate women’s voices in the climate arena, SHEAR-Kenya will create platforms where women can lead climate initiatives at the grassroots level. These platforms will focus on capacity building and creating opportunities for women to engage in climate decision-making processes, both locally and in broader national dialogues.

Inclusion of People with Disabilities: People with disabilities are often excluded from climate action due to lack of accessible resources and opportunities for participation. By developing climate education materials in Braille and Kenyan Sign Language, and involving disabled persons organizations (DPOs) in program activities, SHEAR-Kenya ensures their full inclusion in both learning and leadership roles.

Creating an Inclusive Climate Policy Dialogue: SHEAR-Kenya advocates for inclusive policy-making by facilitating interactions between marginalized groups and local government representatives, environmental policymakers, and civil society organizations. This ensures that the needs and voices of youth, women, and people with disabilities are heard and considered in the development and implementation of local and national climate policies.

The Urgency of Action
Climate change poses an existential threat to Kenya’s marginalized populations, who rely heavily on agriculture, natural resources, and biodiversity for their livelihoods. Without intervention, extreme weather events like droughts, floods, and deforestation will continue to devastate these communities. SHEAR-Kenya takes a holistic approach, recognizing that addressing the climate crisis requires both education and advocacy to ensure resilience and sustainable livelihoods for future generations.

By focusing on inclusivity, education, and grassroots empowerment, SHEAR-Kenya strives to create a model for climate resilience that leaves no one behind, ensuring that Kenya’s most vulnerable communities are at the forefront of the fight against climate change.