Climate education helped change how my community fights the climate crisis in Nigeria
"For the girls, this was their first exposure to what it looked like to be in a space specifically for girls, by girls." (Photo courtesy of Tamilore Omojola)
26-year-old Tamilore, a Malala Fund Girl Fellow, writes about the first time she learned about climate change, how it spurred an interest in climate education and how girls in her community led the charge on climate-friendly waste disposal — changing her hometown for the better.
In high school, I was a part of the music team and at some point, when I was about 11 years old, my high school music teacher had us learn a song for an event where we sang about working together to conquer, save and adapt to climate change — those were the exact lyrics of the song if I remember clearly. But at that time, I didn't think too much about the issue.
Later, I joined an information session about COP, which had a detailed session on climate change and what it entailed. You know how you hear about something for the first time and it remains in your mind and you're eager to check more about it? That was what I felt the first time I remember hearing about the issue of climate change.
I had a lot of questions and wanted to understand the issue more as it relates to my immediate environment and community. I had checked online and the majority of the information I found were highlights of extreme climate-related events. What kept running through my mind was how information related to climate change in Ibadan’s context was scarce and what was available was not very relatable.
I also learnt that we all have responsibilities to curb the climate crisis but I couldn't figure out how the people in my community could, since we didn't face the extreme climate catastrophes but still contributed to the crisis in our backyard. I was aware there were companies around the country who focused on recycling waste bottles but I didn't think it should just end at that.
So I began to think about how we also contribute to climate change and how we can take action — as individuals and as a community — to reduce the effects.
In my community, one practice that was contributing to the emission of greenhouse gases was waste burning, which was common. Most people didn't think it important to engage in other methods of properly sorting their household waste. This felt like something we could control, I started to think it through and I knew that girls had the power to drive this movement in my hometown.
“We now have households more aware of how to manage waste and play their part in mitigating the crisis climate in our community. This accomplishment lies with the girls in my community who recognized their power and took action.“ (Photo courtesy of Tamilore Omojola)
Around this time, I began my work as a Malala Fund Fellow. This meant working with girls and young women in my community and later, girls from other countries. We could all share what was happening in our communities and how issues affecting girls and young women around us also were a barrier.
One thing I enjoyed about the fellowship was the time spent as a group during our weekly sessions. I appreciated the kind of confidence we built as girls in the group. Because of this, I wanted to replicate this space with girls in my hometown.
With my background in girls’ rights advocacy, I was very particular about wanting girls to come into the safe space I had created and leave there feeling like they had more power because they had the information they needed to express themselves with confidence and without fear. We gathered weekly to learn about basic life skills, sexual and reproductive health, money management skills and some of the pressing issues of global importance around the world.
"We took pictures of scenery that explained the state of our waste disposal and how it can be better managed within our local context. Then, printed the images and displayed them on the wall." (Photo courtesy of Tamilore Omojola)
As a fellow, I took on a project that championed the rights of women and girls and empowered them to advocate for the causes dear to them — for me, that was climate change.
After the first session on climate change, the girls wanted to be a part of the movement to take action. So, we came co-designined an event in the community.
To give you an idea of what the event looked like, we took pictures of scenery that explained the state of our waste disposal and how it can be better managed within our local context. Then, printed the images and displayed them on the wall. Girls managed each of those images by explaining to every attendee of the event what it meant and solutions for improper waste management.
Girls managed each image, explaining to every attendee of the event what it meant and solutions for improper waste management. (Photo courtesy of Tamilore Omojola)
For the girls, this was their first exposure to what it looked like to be in a space specifically for girls, by girls. For many, they gained confidence and felt more comfortable as leaders, equipped with information to help their communities. And now these girls have become leaders who create their own spaces among their friends.
“For many [girls], they gained confidence and felt more comfortable as leaders, equipped with information to help their communities. Now these girls have become leaders who create their own spaces among their friends. ”
Through this work, we learned the power and influence we have as girls, individually, in our families and the community as a whole. All a girl needs is information. The girls in my hometown now share this knowledge with their own groups of friends and have taken on the duty of managing waste from their individual households.
We took a topic that everyone thought of as far off and not something close to home — climate change — and simplified and localised it. We now have households more aware of how to manage waste and play their part in mitigating the crisis climate in our community. This accomplishment lies with the girls in my community who recognized their power and took action.
Read more
