The Media Advocacy West Africa (MAWA Foundation) has established a Community Climate Advocacy Network across the six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory FCT-Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
The Community Climate Advocacy Network which comprises Area Council environmental officials, community change agents, and journalists from each of the six Area Councils, was created as part of the MAWA-Foundation Climate Change misinformation project supported by MEEDAN.
The network will play a critical role in climate change education and awareness across communities in FCT. The members will carry out education and sensitization in cells among the residents in their area.
The network that was formed on March 8, 2023, at Abuja during the MAWA Foundation climate change misinformation training, has a core responsibility to counter the narratives among the community members who see climate change impact as the handiwork of witches and wizards targeted at harming them via a spiritual means.
One area members of the network pointed out that needs vast awareness and education is among the rural farmers, who believe that the poor harvest and decay in yam storage they are experiencing is a result of witches and wizards aimed at them by their enemies.
They, however, pointed out that the lack of climate change awareness and education is responsible for farmers consulting native doctors over poor harvests rather than exploring mitigation and adaptation which they say are the best ways for addressing climate change.
MAWA Foundation will continue to work with the community climate change advocacy network to ensure that their capacity is fully built to carry out climate change effective communication and advocacy among the rural people which is hugely lacking.
Our first year’s target is to achieve about 50% climate change awareness among communities in FCT, and not only awareness but a good understanding of the issues among the residents.
What a great opportunity for me to be part of this historical society
Mawa foundation is doing a good job .
Involving the rural farmers in this project will really go a long way,as this will equip them with the right information which will erase the myth concerning climate change.kudos to mawa foundation.
This initiative looks good. It will address the gap in climate change awareness in the rural areas.