0. Summary: 

Awareness raising is an important component of the adaptation and mitigation process to manage the impacts of climate change, enhance adaptive capacity, and reduce overall vulnerability. However, awareness level has remained poor in the global south (Nigeria) and particularly in the rural communities.   It is therefore pertinent t to carry out climate education to sensitize the general public especially the young people and particularly the girls in Nsukka, Enugu North senatorial zone, Enugu state, Nigeria, to empower them to be environmentally sensitive, engage in climate discuss and take climate actions

1. Project Description

While young people in other parts of the world are leading climate actions, majority of the young people in Nsukka senatorial zone of Enugu state, Nigeria which is a host to the first indigenous University in Nigeria, (the University of Nigeria, Nsukka) that is supposed to be a force in climate discuss lack knowledge of climate change and therefore cannot play active role with respect to climate issues. In Nsukka, majority are not aware and informed about climate change and the measures they can take to pro-actively adapt and mitigate climate change. For instance, our findings within the University of Nigeria, Nsukka during our COP26 activities show that 90% of the undergraduate students do not know about climate change. If this is the situation with those in the university, you can imagine the awareness level of those who are not in the university. Awareness raising is an important component of the adaptation process to manage the impacts of climate change, enhance adaptive capacity, and reduce overall vulnerability. Adopting gender transformative approach, this intervention is focused on climate literacy and education of young people in Nsukka senatorial zone. The program is centered on capacity building of undergraduate students, climate education in selected secondary schools, creation of eco clubs in the selected schools, planting of food trees. The program targets 6 schools, one tertiary institution (University of Nigeria Nsukka), 3 mixed (boys and girls) public secondary schools, two all-girls secondary schools. Our target is to directly reach 2000 young people, indirectly reach 5000 people in 6 months and plant 20 food trees in each selected schools (total 120).  

The major objective of this project is to carry out climate change education to sensitize the young people particularly the girls in this part of the world to empower them to be environmentally sensitive, engage in climate discuss and take climate actions.

Planned Activities

1.Planning meeting

2. Mapping of Schools and writing letters to selected schools

3. Training of staff and team members

4. Climate education and capacity building and formation of school clubs

5. Mid Report

 6. Land Preparation and planting of trees in the selected schools

7. Project monitoring and evaluation

8. Final report submission

 9. Closing meeting

 

2. Project progress up to now

To this effect we kick started the project with a launching and inception meeting which was held on 22/05/06 with 12 participants including some of the team members and some of our volunteers

In this meeting, we reviewed the approved proposal and the budget along with the objectives and the intended outcome. We had conversations about how best to implement the project emphasizing the issue of accountability and reporting and also made our project video. We also reviewed our designed banner for printing.

▼ A photo of some of the team members, and our volunteers during the inception meeting

 

 ▼ The Project Banner

This was followed by mapping of schools, and writing letters to the selected schools to inform them about the project. The criteria considered in our choice of schools included (a) it must be a public school (b) two of the schools has to be all girls, (c) time of response from the school principal. 

The mapping of schools and writing to selected schools was followed by Train the trainers program which was held on 16 June, 2023. The train the trainers program was targeted at Equity Watch Initiative volunteers and team members to build their capacity to lead the project and climate discourse and actions generally. It was targeted at enhancing the capacity of our team members, volunteers and other interested persons particularly the girls. A key highlight of the training focused on understanding what climate change is about, how we all contribute to the changing climate, the impact of climate change on food security, how climate change exacerbate gender based violence including child marriage, teenage pregnancy, sexual and reproductive health among others. With a better understating, the participants made commitment to contribute their quota in the fight against climate change. The coordinator Plogging Nigeria Club University of Nigeria, Nsukka Ayodeji Omilabu and Dr Chiemezie Atama facilitated training. Twenty 22 persons were in attendance, 5 males and 17 females.

 ▼ The train the trainers program

 

Following the training we procured the fruit trees and the watering cans

 

 ▼ Photo of some of the team members showing the watering cans

This was followed by school climate education and tree planting program, including formation of school climate club and the distribution of watering can. In these outreaches, the activities focused on

1.Sensitizing participants about climate change and environmental issues.

2. Educating students in this schools about the impact of climate change and how they can take actions

3. Making them to learn the importance of trees and engage students in tree planting

4. Providing a better understanding of mitigation and adaptation strategies

5. Formation of school climate club

6. Distribution of watering can.

The major focus of the climate education program was on

1.     Educating the students about climate change and providing a better understating of climate change.

2.     Identifying the factors responsible for the changing climate and emphasizing how we all contribute to the changing climate.

3.     Highlighting the impact of climate change particularly on health, food security, our environment how climate change exacerbate gender based violence including child marriage, teenage pregnancy, sexual and reproductive health among others.

4.     Educating the students about the actions they can take to mitigate climate change paying particular attention on tree planting, raising their voices against deforestation, fighting against plastic pollution, promoting organic farming, reducing their carbon foot print, protecting the planet from harm among others.

In each school, the climate education session was followed up by inauguration of the climate club, planting of the trees and handing in the watering can.

 

Below are the schools visited and number of students that participated in each school.

1.     Community Secondary School Umundu, Udenu LGA, Enugu state. Nigeria

Number of participants- 123

Number of trees planted-20

Number of watering can donated -1

 

 ▼  The team, resource persons and the climate club members, Tree Planting

▼  Educating the students

 

2. Iheaka Girls Secondary School, Iheaka, Igboeze LGA, Enugu state, Nigeria 

1.     Number of participants- 178

2.     Number of trees planted-20

3.     Number of watering can donated -1

▲ A cross section of the students and the club members at Iheaka Girls

 

 

2.     Community Secondary School, Imilike Ani Udenu LGA, Enugu state, Nigeria

4.     Number of participants- 372

5.     Number of trees planted-20

6.     Number of watering can donated -1

 

 

▲  Educating the students

 

  

▲ Planting Trees

 

 

 

3.     Edem Ani Technical College Nsukka, Nsukka LGA, Enugu state. Nigeria

Number of participants- 238

Number of trees planted-20

Number of watering can donated -1

 

▲A cross section of the participants in a session

 

▲ During the tree planting session

 

 

4.     Girls Secondary School, Ibagwa, Igboeze LGA, Enugu state, Nigeria

1.     Number of participants- 142

2.     Number of trees planted-20

3.     Number of watering can donate

 

 

▲ A cross section of the students during a session

   

 

▲ A cross section of the participants during the planting session & Members of the climate club

 

 __________________________________________________________

• Total number of schools visited - 5

• Total number of students reached -1,087

• Number of trees planted -100

• Number of watering can distributed -5

 

 

3. Project plan forward

 

1.     To continue with our social media campaign using the poster cards 

   

 

2.     We have our midterm review meeting coming up in August

3.     We planned to organize a climate education program in University of Nigeria, Nsukka September.

4.     Monitoring and evaluation

5.     Submission of final report October

6.     Closing meeting October