From Left: H.E FCPA Ahmed Abdullahi, E.G.H. Governor Governor of Wajir County, Alana Chelangat, Climate Champion, Pornpun Jib Rabiltossaporn Country Director - Save the Children Kenya and Madagascar Country Office & Yvonne ArungacRegional Director - Save the Children East and Southern Africa Region

NAIROBI, 28, September 2024 - Save the Children has launched its flagship program, Watoto na Mazingira, which is aimed at prioritising children’s rights in climate action. The initiative comes at a time of unprecedented climate shocks that have rocked Kenya and Madagascar affecting children the most.

Nearly half of the population in Kenya & Madagascar is under 18, and climate-related shocks in the form of frequent droughts and floods are worsening issues like water scarcity, disease, and disrupting education for children making them more vulnerable to exploitation. According to the Drought Response Plan Kenya 2023, the country faced unprecedented drought from 2020-2023, affecting close to 6 million people, a majority being children. Currently, 1,000,000 people are food insecure and in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, this number is projected to increase to 1.8 million by January 2025.

Over seven hundred thousand children aged 6 to 59 months, and 112,401 pregnant and breastfeeding women require treatment for acute malnutrition. Similarly, in Madagascar1, catastrophic cyclones and severe droughts have affected over 3 million people among them children.

Yvonne Arunga, Save the Children East and Southern Africa Regional Office Director speaking at the event.

Yvonne Arunga, Save the Children East and Southern Africa Regional Office Director, lauded the organisation for this great milestone noting that the program will help the organisation address the multidimensional effects of climate change on children. "In 20242, it is projected that around 80 million people, including 45 million children in the Horn of Africa, will require humanitarian aid due to climate-related events spurred by El Niño, such as floods, public health crises like cholera outbreaks, economic decline, civil and political unrest, and displacement.

The consequences of these climate shocks extend beyond immediate survival, driving increases in child labor, child marriage, extremism, and forced migration, all of which put children at a greater risk of human trafficking, gender-based violence, abuse, and exploitation."

This climate-centred initiative upholds children and young people as the least contributors to climate change yet they bear the greatest burden of its impact and calls for climate-related policies and legal frameworks to be shaped by the views of children.

The Watoto na Mazingira flagship program will enhance climate change development outcomes for girls and boys in partnership with children and youth groups, civil society organizations (CSOs) networks, and key government institutions by enhancing their knowledge, capacities, and engagement to ensure climate actions are child-centered. In so doing, Save the Children sets out to achieve the following outcomes:

·       The Government of Kenya (GoK) and civil society have improved knowledge and capacities to address children’s rights in climate action

·       Improved prioritisation of child rights within the government’s climate change priorities

·       Amplified children’s perspectives through public engagement to position the climate crisis as a critical issue affecting their rights and well-being and inspire collective action.

The organisation is launching its flagship program against the backdrop of its newly unveiled 2025 – 2027 Country Strategic Plan which is anchored on Save the Children’s global 2030 strategic ambitions focused on ensuring that all children survive, learn, and are protected. For three years, the organisation will be focusing on 5 strategic goals which include:

1.        Every child can access quality health, nutrition, and WASH services to survive and thrive

2.        Functional child protection systems to prevent and respond to all forms of violence and abuse

3.       Strengthen resilient livelihoods and disaster risk management for children

4.       All school-aged children access inclusive, safe, resilient, and quality education

5.       Strengthened and accountable governance systems that prioritize children’s rights

Pornpun Jib Rabiltossaporn, Save the Children Kenya and Madagascar’s Country Director speaking at the event.

Speaking at the strategy launch, Pornpun Jib Rabiltossaporn Save the Children Kenya and Madagascar’s Country Director said the strategy has been influenced largely by the consultations the organisation has had with children, communities, and local actors. These consultations she says have revealed that climate change and gender injustice continue to impede the realization of child rights in Kenya and Madagascar.

In his speech, Dr. Eng. Festus Ngeno PS Climate Change and Environment said “We must prioritize children's issues in policy, integrate climate change awareness and sustainability into education to harness children’s potential to address the climate crisis. Local governments should also develop child- sensitive climate adaptation strategies, with a focus on vulnerable communities facing increased climate risks through targeted social protection programs”.

HE Hon. Ahmed Abdullahi Vice Chair Council of Governors &Governor Wajir County speaking at the event.

“We must also strengthen coordination between the National and County Governments to ensure that vulnerable and marginalized communities, including children, are not left behind. Our efforts must be multisectoral, bringing together different actors to safeguard both people and the planet" said HE Hon. Ahmed Abdullahi Vice Chair of Council of Governors, Governor Wajir County who was the Chief Guest at the launch event that took place on Friday, 27th September 2024.

Save the Children will integrate climate change, gender and social inclusion, and technology for development to achieve impact at scale. The organisation is also deliberate on strengthening local capacities to amplify community and children’s voices, which are central to the strategic plan's success.

 

ENDS

About Save the Children: Save the Children is the leading independent organization in the care and protection of children. In Kenya and around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn, and protection from harm.

For more information contact: ida.maritim@savethechildren.org 

 

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