•Kenya among 12 African Countries that will benefit from the 3-year project.
•The initiative which is fully funded by the Swedish government will help vulnerable communities in Kenya.
Kenya is among the 12 African countries that will benefit from a 3-year project meant to scale up climate action and build resilience of vulnerable communities in the country.
The initiative which is fully funded by the Swedish government will help vulnerable communities in Kenya to construct a diverse portfolio of activities and social support capabilities in order to survive and to improve their standards of living.
It will also ensure all rural families have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food.
This is to enable achieving of their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life while at the same time increasing their social security and human capital.
Guard-Africa (Galvanizing and Unifying Africa's Action for Resilient Development amidst Covid 19 pandemic )initiative was on March 2 implemented by The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance.
PACJA will work with women-led groups to leverage the efforts of other players such as The United Nations Environment Programme in the climate change conversations within Africa and globally to achieve Just Climate Financing for just recovery from the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 including promotion of green energy.
A survey conducted by a continental agricultural policy firm stated that the number of people facing hunger in Africa is expected to cross the 500 million mark on the Covid-19 induced challenges.
According to the survey, the pandemic in addition to existing challenges including climate change will double the number of those lacking food from the current 227 million.
The Disaster management executive Charles Kioko has also pointed out that prolonged drought on the Kenya-South Sudan border is fuelling banditry attacks as communities compete for available resources.
This initiative will act as part of disaster response to ensure that the above gaps are filled and that Kenyans increase their food and nutrition security, social security, financial state and diversified livelihoods.
PACJA executive director assured that this will be achieved through strengthening their capacities to access and control productive assets needed to build their resilience against climate shocks which include land, water, indigenous drought resistant crops, livestock and money.
The initiative will mobilize, unify and consolidate the efforts of the civil society, other Non-State Actors and the government of Kenya to ensure full implementation of Nationally Determined Contributors (NDCs) and overall climate action.
Other benefactors include Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Niger, Cameroon, Zambia, Botswana, Morocco, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Gabon.
Launching the initiative in Rwanda, PACJA executive director, Mithika Mwenda appreciated the Swedish government for supporting advocacy work around climate justice.
"This is a clear testimony of the confidence the Government of Sweden has in Africa's CSO and the desire to see Africa transit to a just, low carbon economy," he said.
PACJA will work with women-led groups to leverage the efforts of other players such as The United Nations Environment Programme in the climate change conversations within Africa and globally to achieve Just Climate Financing for just recovery from the impacts of climate change and COVID-19 including promotion of green energy.