TAMARA KAHUTHIA

'My name is Tamara Kahuthia, and I am a youth environmental activist from Kenya, passionate about climate action, the effects of climate change on mental health, and raising women's voices. I first became aware of the effects of climate change in Kenya at the age of 13, particularly on vulnerable communities and my family. This marked the beginning of my journey. To ensure the trees planted have survived, we establish environmental clubs in schools as part of the ongoing Adopt a Tree initiative, involving children and youth. Rather than adopting a pet, we are adopting a tree.

Why is it so hard for us to acknowledge that Mother Earth needs our assistance when we keep destroying what the planet has to offer? In the struggle against climate change, the determination and resiliency of activists worldwide are crucial.

Thank you to all mothers who recognise the difficulties that climate change poses for both our present and future generations. The environmental activist who has inspired me in my advocacy journey is my mother, Lucy Mbae. She has devoted her life to reducing climate change and making a significant contribution to building a sustainable future for everyone. She is my role model.

We both have serious concerns about climate change, and we must recognise how it affects us. Rather than just making empty promises, we need to stop ignoring the problem and start acting on it.

The Adopt a Tree initiative isn't ending today or tomorrow.

My goal as a young woman is to improve people's lives, and as I learned more about mental health issues, natural disasters such as droughts and floods cause mental disturbance in individual lives, the fear of starting a new life, and loss of life and resources. What are our leaders and our nations doing to combat climate change?

Climate change is being used as a profit-making tool for leaders. We all know that the money to combat the climate crisis is there, but where does the money go?

As a young person who can see what is happening but our leaders often turn a blind eye, I do not stand for using people's lives for financial gain.

A catastrophic drought that began in March 2023 affected many counties in Kenya, including Kajiado, where the locals had to deal with the loss of their livestock, which was their main source of income. The only park in the city, Nairobi National Park, dried up as a result of the rising temperatures, which affected the wild animals' access to food. On March 15, 2023, a group of members of Nairobi National Park and I went to the park to distribute 300 hay bundles throughout the most populated areas of the wild animals.

We are the source of the problem; we keep on destroying our planet, forgetting that there are future generations to come. As a young woman inspiring other women’s voices to be heard and more women in power positions, we need to set our differences aside and come and work together to save our planet. We act as if we have another planet B. What are our leaders doing? Why are we choosing people over profit? It is sad to see that countries from the Global South are experiencing a harsh global climate crisis where mothers and children are the most affected. I believe in humanity, and I want to be a young woman who promotes a just and fair transition.