Women and Youth at the Forefront of Leveraging Constituency Development Funds for Climate Justice

By Kondwani Thindwa - Panos Institute, Zambia

In the face of escalating climate change impacts, women and youth in Zambia are mobilising to take action. Among the most vulnerable yet resilient groups, they increasingly leverage Constituency Development Funds (CDFs) to spearhead climate justice and locally-led climate advocacy. Amidst the escalating climate challenges, the importance of grassroots engagement in climate action cannot be overstated.

In Lukolongo ward, a local community in Kafue district in Zambia, a town hall meeting hosted by Panos Institute Southern Africa, with support from the Women’s Life Wellness Foundation (WLWF) on the 07^th March 2024, under the Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) programme in Zambia, has become a catalyst for empowering women and youths to leverage CDF for climate justice initiatives in Kapongo, Shimabala, Mpande’A and Lukolongo wards of Kafue district.

A local community member from Lukolongo Ward shares with their civic leaders some of the challenges that had been hindering access to CDF. Photo credit: Kondwani Thindwa.

The gathering, which saw the participation of over 230 local community members from the four wards, has set a precedent for participatory governance and sustainable development. The town hall meeting followed a series of previous meetings hosted by the Women’s Life Wellness Foundation and House of Ruth Foundation in the district. The aim was to reflect on the outcomes of the previous dialogue meetings, assess progress made since then, and identify challenges and barriers still hindering the effective utilisation of funds in addressing climate change.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS: A PLATFORM FOR CHANGE

The town hall meetings held in Lukolongo ward have fostered dialogue between the local communities in the four wards and their civic leaders. These meetings have provided a platform for residents, particularly women and youths, to voice their concerns about accessing CDF and propose climate change and environmental sustainability solutions. Through learning and sharing between these communities and the WLWF, these engagements have created a space to educate the local community on the importance of climate justice and the role of CDF in achieving it.

Local community members from Lukolongo Ward interact with their civic leaders on some of the challenges that had been hindering access to CDF. Photo credit: Kondwani Thindwa.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN CLIMATE JUSTICE

Climate change disproportionately affects women due to their roles in managing households, securing food and water, and caring for families. However, their unique perspectives and knowledge make them invaluable agents of change in climate justice initiatives. Through their interaction with WLWF, the local community members from the four wards established the WLWF-VCA alliance on 15^th December 2023. WLWF shares that the group was formed after the local community members attended the ecofeminist foods systems symposium with the focus of sharing the knowledge they got from the symposium on indigenous seeds and agroecology practices and adopting them in their various communities.

Local vegetable garden in Lukolongo supported through boreholes drilled through advocacy around CDF. Photo credit: WLWF

Through this alliance, the women and youths step into leadership roles within their communities, advocating for climate-resilient practices. By leveraging CDFs, they establish cooperatives that promote sustainable agriculture and agroforestry, enhancing both environmental sustainability and economic stability. Following the town hall meeting conducted on the 07^th March 2024, the women from the alliance group and other cooperatives share that through these civic engagements, at least seven women’s clubs out of eight that applied have accessed CDF of up to K25,000.

“What we have seen from CDF is that our local cooperatives and clubs are now receiving grants, we are happy! Through this CDF, our children have gone to school, and we now have clean water through the water pumps we have been crying for.”- Monica Mukasulwe.

Local community member from Lukolongo draws water from a hand pump installed through CDF. Picture credit: WLWF.

The active involvement of women and youths in these initiatives has fostered a sense of ownership and accountability, ensuring their sustainability. The successful collaboration between the local community of Lukolongo, Kapongo, Shimabala and Mpande’A Ward and civic leaders through town hall meetings has demonstrated the power of participatory governance in addressing climate justice. By empowering these groups, these wards address immediate climate challenges and build a resilient and informed community capable of adapting to future environmental changes.