The First-hand Impacts of the Climate Crisis

At All We Can, so many of the organisations we partner with see first-hand the impacts of the climate crisis. Our partners are actively working to ensure that the communities they support are equipped to cope with the changes they are witnessing.

In Zimbabwe, our partner CGCDZ (Centre for Gender and Community Development Zimbabwe) is committed to educating communities around the issue of climate. Chief Executive Officer of CGCDZ, Elliot Vengesa, explains that by focusing on the topic of the climate crisis, they ensure that the communities they serve understand the changes around them and how they are occurring. This work includes disaster preparedness training and forming committees, particularly in rural communities, to monitor potential disasters and devise ways of responding to situations as they unfold. Equipping communities with knowledge of the crisis, as well as ways to prepare themselves to face disaster, is just one way of coming alongside those who are on the front lines of this deeply unjust crisis.

Similarly, In Malawi, farmers like Efa (pictured) are working with one of All We Can’s partners, FACE (Foundation for Active Civic Education) to adapt their practices to incorporate more advanced farming techniques in response to the changes in climate. Efa and her fellow farmers are integrating methods known as ‘cluster farming’ which includes planting quick-maturing crops, as well as enabling water harvesting through box-ridges. These techniques help to conserve the ground moisture and ensure that the crops grow well. Reflecting on her new farming skills, Efa said, ‘we are not going to stop this, we are going to proceed with this, because we have seen the goodness of this farming and we are also doing the same in our personal farmlands too’.

For many of the people All We Can’s partners work with - like Efa in Malawi, and the communities CGCDZ works alongside in Zimbabwe - being attuned to the world around them is imperative. Whether it’s to spot the signs of an incoming disaster or to shape farming techniques to best suit the land, being attentive the land and climate is critical.  

As we learn more about how communities in Zimbabwe and Malawi are already facing the force of the climate crisis, it is important for those of us in the UK to do all that we can to walk alongside them.  

Could you commit to praying for the work of climate educators like Elliot or farmers like Efa? Could you talk to your church community about incorporating issues of climate into your weekly services? Could you find opportunities to fundraise for the work of All We Can to support those on the front lines of the changing climate?

Regardless of the ways in which changes in climate can disrupt the workings of our partners and the communities they serve, All We Can remains committed to steadfastly standing with them. To find out more about All We Can and how we work, visit out our website at allwecan.org.uk.

Mollie Pugmire, All We Can Communications & Advocacy Officer