WEL in Partnership with Akina Mama wa Afrika (AmWA)

WEL in Partnership with Akina Mama wa Afrika (AmWA)

The partnership between WEL and Akina Mama wa Africa is geared toward the amplification of marginalized groups’ voices, especially women in Climate Change Planning, Policy, and practice. Through the Voices for Just Climate Action (VCA) Program, WEL has mobilized 1200 young women from 44 groups in Rusinga and Mfangano Islands in Homa Bay county. AMwA has supported WEL in strengthening the capacity of 61 grassroots women leaders in Transformational leadership and Climate Justice. This helped the women to identify climate-related advocacy issues and develop strategies for climate Justice advocacy.

To promote women’s participation in local climate actions, WEL provided financial and technical support to three women’s groups to enhance their locally-led climate initiatives. Currently, six women’s groups from the two islands are implementing these actions to cope with and adapt to climatic hazards.

To mitigate the impact of climate change, which disproportionately affects women in the two islands, WEL has provided capacity enhancement which helped women to better understand governance, devolvement, and political processes. This resulted in increased participation in Homa Bay County’s Integrated Development Plan, Annual Development Plan, and budget processes. These women successfully advocated for gender-responsive budgeting in Climate Change Mainstreaming.

WEL played a crucial role in lobbying for women’s inclusion in Climate Change committees, leading to the establishment and participation of women in climate change technical working groups and ward Climate Change Planning Committees in Homa Bay County. Two women leaders were appointed to the Ward climate change committee.

In collaboration with Homa Bay County, WEL contributed to the development of the county’s Climate Change legal and Policy framework. In 2022, WEL lobbied the County Assembly of Homa Bay to enact the Climate Change Act, enabling the county to qualify for the Financing Locally-led Climate Action (FLLoCA) Program fund.