FEMNET | Ubuntu: Empowering Women and Youth for Climate Justice

Ubuntu: Empowering Women and Youth for Climate Justice

By Dianarose Odhiambo
02 Apr 2025

In the heart of the West Coast and Northern Cape provinces, Ubuntu has been at the forefront of advocating for climate justice, ensuring that women and youth have a voice in climate action. Over the past year, the organization has successfully fostered intergenerational conversations, enabling young and older women to navigate the pressing issues of climate change together. By capacitating youth with knowledge, skills, and confidence, Ubuntu has cultivated a new generation of climate leaders who are actively engaging in advocacy, adaptation, and mitigation efforts.

Women from 10 different areas who attended the AACJ workshops showcased their products to inspire each other.

In October 2024, Ubuntu held an intergenerational Climate Justice Workshop in Citrus Dal, bringing together 48 women, with over 40% of them being young women, a significant increase in youth participation. The workshop underscored the urgency of including women in climate decision-making processes, especially as they are disproportionately affected by climate change’s consequences, including time poverty, gender-based violence, and economic instability.

“The workshop helped me gain knowledge and skills to act. It connected me with other communities, inspired me to become a climate leader, and boosted my confidence. I even had the opportunity to share my understanding of climate justice through a presentation, something I never imagined I could do.” Lauren, a young participant, reflected on the impact of the workshop.

Through hands-on training and dialogue, participants gained critical knowledge on climate justice, pollution, sustainable practices, and the devastating effects of oil, gas, and coal mining on women’s lives and livelihoods.

“I’ve attended climate change workshops before, but Ubuntu’s session on Climate Justice gave me deeper insights into how oil and gas mining has violated human and environmental rights. Being able to share my perspective as an equal participant was empowering,” another participant, Darlyn, noted.

Kiara is in an environmental club that she started at school as a result of the inspiration that she got from Ubuntu Rural Women and Youth Movement.

Beyond capacity-building, Ubuntu has also played a key role in challenging climate policies. In November 2024, a young woman accompanied seasoned activists to a Climate Change Strategies meeting in Worcester, where they urged provincial leaders to move beyond performative commitments and adopt genuine, transformative climate actions. The advocacy efforts were acknowledged by a provincial official, marking a step toward policy shifts that integrate gender-responsive and community-led climate strategies.

Maryna Booysen, a small-scale agro-ecological farmer in the Northern Cape, also benefited from Ubuntu’s work.

“As a farmer, I’ve seen firsthand how climate change impacts our livelihoods. The training helped me understand how to adapt, from water conservation techniques to soil regeneration methods. It’s clear that women, especially those heading households, bear the greatest burden of climate change despite contributing the least to global warming,” she shared.

The eldest member of the group that attended the climate justice workshop is over 75 years old, and she is reading a poem on how to protect the ocean and climate.

Ubuntu recognizes that the fight for climate justice cannot be won without the active participation of young people. As such, the organization has prioritized intergenerational leadership, ensuring that young women are exposed to learning and leadership opportunities. By connecting climate justice with broader social justice issues, such as food sovereignty, energy access, and economic prosperity, Ubuntu continues to empower women to take ownership of their future.

As Ubuntu moves forward, it remains steadfast in its mission to advocate for a radical shift in government climate policies, challenge the exploitation of natural resources, and ensure that women and youth are at the center of climate solutions. Through ongoing training, advocacy, and policy engagement, Ubuntu is not just educating communities, it is cultivating a movement for sustainable and gender-just climate action.