Community Voices

• Meet Oumou Koulibaly, the new Knowledge sharing Officer at ENDA

  admin | 2012-02-03 16:00

  Who is Oumou?
  My full name is Oumou Koltoum Koulibaly, originally from Burkina Faso. I graduated in English Studies at the University of Burkina Faso and later received my Masters degree in Cultural Management and Administration at the same university. In 2009, I received a post-graduate diploma in International Rural Development at the Royal Agricultural College (UK), majoring in climate change.
   
  I love anything related to environment, climate change, sustainable development, and poverty alleviation. I have a growing interest in agriculture as the sector from which 70-90% of the African population gets its livelihood, and also as the most vulnerable sector to the effects of climate change. In my free time, I enjoy surfing the internet, watching movies, travelling, networking and swimming.

  What inspired you to join AfricaAdapt?
  I was inspired by the mission of the project [to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable people in Africa through increasing access to and use of knowledge assets by all stakeholders on climate change adaptation]. In Africa there are many organisations involved in climate change, but there is a lack of communication to reach vulnerable communities so the idea of sharing knowledge between and with them is a good way to put their indigenous knowledge to use.
   
  Were you previously involved in any work on climate change?
  My first “touch” with climate change was in December 2006 when I was working with the CSD 15 (Commission on Sustainable Development) vice-chair for Africa, Mr. Alain Edouard Traore, as his bilingual assistant. During that period I attended the CSD15 meeting in New York, an experience that raised my awareness on key environmental issues and I decided to learn more about it.

  
  In 2008, I got a grant to study International Rural Development in the UK and took climate change as one of my options. I did an internship at the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), where i focused on the socio-economic and environmental impact of the production and consumption of meat and dairy products in developing countries. My master’s research was on “Climate change and the impacts on sustainable agriculture in Burkina Faso: adaptations and mitigations”.

  
  What are you looking forward to the most in your new job as a KSO?
  My career goals include building strategies to improve the livelihood of poor people in rural areas and strengthen their resilience to climate change and other environmental issues. I believe my job as a KSO will allow me interact with policy makers and communities, and bring me closer to achieving my goals.

• Interview with Binetou Diagne: a former AfricaAdapt Knowledge Sharing Officer shares her experiences

  admin | 2012-02-02 15:07

  Who is Binetou and how did you join AfricaAdapt?
  I’m a young African woman who is interested in ecology and fascinated by the beauty of African wildlife and nature. While I was pursuing my Masters in International Marketing I was involved in several environmental youth organizations. When I finished my studies, I knew I did not want to work for the private sector, but for a cause I support. That is how I joined the AfricaAdapt network.

  KSOs have been referred to as network drivers. What were you engaged in on a day-to-day basis?
  My day mainly consisted of responding to emails from members, updating the website with news and opportunities for network members, and adding relevant resources on climate change. I also  managed the first two editions of the AfricaAdapt Knowledge Sharing Innovation Fund. Managing the Fund was quite challenging, but it was very rewarding to see the projects coming to life and knowing that the network was contributing to positive change within local communities across Africa.

  What are your most memorable experiences as a KSO?
  I think the most memorable experiences were the field visits to meet communities already facing the impacts of climate change. I liked those moments because I was close to the communities and could really ‘see’ and ‘feel’ their day-to-day challenges. I learned a lot from those exchanges and I have a lot of respect for these men and women who are truly knowledgeable [on climate change], yet very humble.

  What was most challenging?
  The most challenging aspect of my job was being part of a KSO team spread in different corners of the continent. We hardly saw each other and mostly worked online. The annual project team meetings provided an opportunity to discuss the network challenges face-to-face, but for KSOs, it was an excellent excuse to spend time together. I think the friendship and trust that the KSO team built over the past 3 years helped keep it together solidly.

  What would you like to see AfricaAdapt doing more of or differently in the future?
  I would like to see the network engaging more with its members through online discussions on the platform and face-to-face interactions like meet and greets. The most successful events we have organized were face-to-face and I would wish for more of them, as they promote the gathering and sharing of relevant knowledge in the right formats that can be easily understood and hence put to use. 

  Where do you go from here?
  I have a passion for ancestral beauty rituals and African pharmacopoeia. I’m developing a line of natural bath and body products that respect the environment and are made of healing herbs, oils and butters of Africa. I'm really excited about the new experiences and challenges that are ahead!

   

• Isaac Djagbletey of Radio Ada (Ghana) on climate change and radio in Ghana

  admin | 2011-02-02 04:10

  Isaac Djagbletey, station director of Radio Ada in Ghana discusses the impacts of climate change that are being experienced in the Greater Ada area. He talks about the role that community radio can play in helping to address these changes.

• Climate change training for community radio broadcasters in Ghana

  admin | 2010-10-31 06:10

  Part of the partnership between AfricaAdapt, Ghana Community Radio Network, AMARC, and IDS. This was the 2nd training event of our one-year project.

• Farmers Become Filmmakers

  admin | 2010-10-12 06:36

  Participatory video as a tool for community-based adaptation to Climate Change in Malawi, Africa. Produced and narrated by Fernanda Baumhardt.

• Tiwizi: A community unites for adapatation to climate change

  admin | 2010-09-03 03:03

  Here is a participatory video from Morocco partly funded by AfricaAdapt Innovation Fund

  Morocco PV English from Anna Lisa Jose on Vimeo.

• La pré-alerte comme outil d'adaptation aux changements climatiques

  admin | 2010-05-27 07:24

  La vidéo montre l'expérience de la pré-alerte agro-météorologique au Bénin. Il s'agit de la mise à disposition des conseils agro-météo aux agriculteurs afin de les aider à mieux planifier les activités agricoles et à faire face aux risques climatiques.

• Echange d'expériences sur l'adaptation au changement climatique

  admin | 2010-05-24 05:35

  Cette initiative veut diffuser l’information sur le changement climatique auprès de la communauté Mbororo et aussi favoriser le partage du savoir local qui est considérable en matière d’adaptation au climat.

• Using radio for rights-based approaches to climate change adaptation

  admin | 2010-03-30 02:58

  Hamilton Chimala (Development Broadcasting Unit/Malawi Broadcasting Corporation) discusses his work in rights-based advocacy for climate change adaptation using radio and radio listening groups in Malawi.

• Adapting to the wild side: Climate friendly rooibos

  admin | 2010-02-10 09:37

  Small scale farmers in the Suid Bokkeveld (South Africa) are adapting their farming practices to accomodate the more extreme weather events that are likely to come their way.

• Introducing three Kenyan START Climate Change Fellows

  admin | 2009-11-16 07:44

  Three Kenyan Climate Change Fellowship recipients from the CCAA-START programme attended a recent AfricaAdapt Meet and Greet in Nairobi. They told us about the research that they have been conducting on adaptation to climate change.
  

• Signs of Hope - A community managed climate adaptation initiative

  binetou | 2009-09-25 03:40

• Radio communautaire et changements climatiques

  blaneh | 2009-09-25 03:30

  Interview avec Houinsou Félix Sèdègnon, ADRAO Immaculée Conception, Bénin lors de la 4ème pan-africaine de l'AMARC, à Grand Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire

• Le défi de l'eau - Un film d'ENDA Tiers-Monde

  blaneh | 2009-07-15 03:23

• Video: Nganyi Indigenous Knowledge Adaptation Project

  kitlamoureux2 | 2009-06-28 21:42

  
  

  Nganyi Indigenous Knowledge Adaptation Project from Will Miller on Vimeo.