A non-profit organisation, Education as a Vaccine (EVA), has described the climate crisis as one of the greatest challenges of this era, with far-reaching and unprecedented effects on people and ecosystems globally.
The organisation noted that from disrupted weather patterns threatening food security to rising sea levels increasing flood risks and urban pollution causing health hazards, climate change directly and indirectly undermines fundamental human rights, including access to health, food, water, and even life itself.
According to the 2021 Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, Nigeria ranks as the 53rd most vulnerable and 6th least ready country globally to adapt to climate change. EVA observed that these statistics only scratch the surface of the human reality of climate change, as farmers watch crops wither under erratic rainfall, mothers struggle to find clean water during droughts, and persons with disabilities face challenges navigating floods without accessible evacuation routes.
Recognising that climate change disproportionately affects women, youth, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups, EVA implemented the African Activists for Climate Justice (AACJ) project in Nigeria, through FEMNET and in collaboration with local partners.
The five-year initiative, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented across nine African countries, sought to promote climate justice and strengthen grassroots movements demanding fair and inclusive climate action.
Speaking at the project’s close-out ceremony in Abuja, Senior Programme Officer at EVA, Otubusin Anuoluwapo, said the AACJ project was designed to position vulnerable communities as frontline advocates in responding to the threat of climate change.
She explained that in Nigeria, EVA led implementation using a community-led approach across North-Central states, working with the Environment and Climate Change Initiative (ECCAI) in Benue, Beacon Youth Initiative (BYI) in Nasarawa, and Esteem Hub Foundation.
Otubusin noted that the project’s work operates through three strategic pathways, including creating networks of activists, particularly women and youth, who can organise for change in their communities; developing and sharing African narratives to elevate local experiences and challenge dominant climate narratives; and engaging with government institutions to influence political will and promote climate-just policies and solutions.
Over the past five years, EVA’s work under the AACJ has included training young women climate advocates, establishing Climate Justice Clubs in schools, developing a Feminist Climate Justice Advocacy Toolkit, and supporting grassroots participation at regional and global climate forums.
Through school programmes, online campaigns, and radio engagements, the organisation said it reached more than 15,000 people with messages promoting inclusive and just climate action.
Otubusin stressed that the project’s achievements demonstrate the power of inclusive, community-driven approaches in tackling the climate crisis. She called on government, private sector, and civil society actors to sustain and scale the initiative’s outcomes beyond its closure.
“Climate justice requires that those who contribute the least to global warming are not left to bear its harshest impacts alone,” she said. “Communities must continue to be empowered to lead the solutions they need.”
