Climate Change and Children

CHILDREN are the least to blame for eroding the environment, but will bear the brunt of its impact in their lifetime. MCF proposes to empower young minds with the knowledge to adapt to the challenges of climate change.

Flash floods and landslides have frequently ravaged Uttarakhand in the last few years – which experts say is a result of unsustainable urbanization.

The UN says the next decade will see 175 million children affected annually by climate-related disasters

The members of bal sangathans of these villages will be educated by a facilitator on environment and climate change. They will map their village, their risks and identify vulnerable places for disaster risk reduction and take action like tree plantation, practicing wise use of natural resources and mock drills. These are intensive activities that happen on a day to day basis.

The facilitator will also interact with the community and the local government to provide support to the children. There will be quarterly workshops where children will learn about the environment around them and changes that are taking place. This will be a one-day intensive workshop which will be built on through successive quarterly training. Also, monthly meetings of bal sangathan will be organized in the village in which the members will be encouraged to find local solutions to issues that have been discussed during the workshops, monitor the well being of the trees they have planted, update maps they have created, etc.

There will be a greater awareness about climate change in over 400 children and 1239 household with a population of over 7000 in 12 villages

These interactions will lead to action in the villages by the children that will eventually involve the community and bring about change in their attitude towards climate change.

Children and their communities will be equipped to understand and adapt to climate change that they see around them and build sustainable lifestyles to protect their futures