Rural women prone to climate change

Women’s Life and Wellness Foundation Acting Executive Director Natasha Sakala has said Rural women are the most hit by effects of climate change.

SMrs Sakala said in the Lukolongo area of Kafue district after a community engagement awareness meeting on climate change, that  women feel the major impact of climate change because of their role in taking care of families.

She said women especially in rural areas where they  have to travel long distances to fetch water and collect firewood to prepare meals.

Ms. Sakala said there is a need to find ways of mitigating the impact of climate change on women.

“The work we are doing under this project is amplifying voices for women and young smallholder farmers. We are not limiting our work to farmers only but to women because they are the ones who   feel the greatest brunt of climate change,” she said

Ms. Sakala said creating an enabling environment for women to speak out and propose solutions to the effects of climate change could be one way of cautioning the impact on women

She noted that her organization is interested in establishing the challenges that women face in communities as a result of climate change and finding ways of alleviating them.

“We want to ensure that Climate Action speaks to the challenges that women face,” she said

And Lukolongo ward Women’s Clubs Chairperson Mary Dimba said women in the area are faced with a number of challenges that hinder them from contributing to economic development.

She said most women do have land where they can do farming activities and to the few that have land, they have no market to sell their products adding that as a result of this their products go to waste

She appealed to Women’s Life and Wellness to help the women in Lukolonga to find a market for their products.

“In this area, there are very few women that own land, we are appealing to you to help the women be empowered with land and for the few that have land, please help them to find a market for their product,” she said.