Written by Regina Gonzalez
April 18, 2022
After briefly speaking with Ugandan activist Aidah Nakku at an event last month, I was intrigued to discover more about her work in advocating for climate and gender justice. I believe that gender equality and climate change are significant issues that we should constantly strive to stay educated about. Therefore, I was fascinated to learn about their intersectionality through Aidah. She is currently part of Rise Up Movement, Fridays for Future, and Fridays for Future MAPA, and dedicates her free time to building a better tomorrow for all young women and girls affected by the climate crisis. She explains that climate justice “begins with recognizing that different groups of people are affected differently”; often, people immediately think of the environment when they hear the term “climate justice”, but it is equally necessary to recognize that it is also about the human experience. As such, Aidah believes that climate justice is best understood through an intersectional lens, such as alongside gender justice, or the “equity and equality for women to be free from any violence and oppression”.
Upon hearing about Vanessa Nakate and her climate activism in 2019, Aidah was encouraged to research more about the issue. This led her to discover that women and girls are the group that is most affected by the climate crisis. Aidah illustrates her point with the following example: in the Global South, tasks such as collecting water and firewood for cooking “have already been defined as [women’s] roles”, yet climate change has made it increasingly more difficult to access these resources. Combined with her already-existing passion for wanting women to be free from discrimination and violence, she became inspired to stand up for both gender and climate justice. Her favorite part of being an activist is doing on-the-ground work, such as tree planting and (climate) education. This includes the +1 Tree Project led by Evelyn Acham, which aims to plant 9 million fruit trees. Since these provide both fruit and shelter, the project’s leaders intend for the project to discourage people from cutting down the trees. Another Rise Up Movement initiative that Aidah discusses is Girl on the Move, headed by Isaac Bogere. It aims to empower girls and women by providing them with skills training, and is currently being run in the Kayunga District of Uganda. Furthermore, Vanessa Nakate’s Vash Green Schools Project encourages the use of renewable energy in schools by installing eco-friendly stoves and solar panels. Already 17 schools have been reached, with the most recent being the Kijjude and Zebidayo primary schools. She considers it “a blessing” to be “part of something bigger than [herself]”, and is particularly grateful to Rise Up Movement for the opportunity. However, she notes that there is a lack of financing for climate justice initiatives, making it difficult to access certain resources or transportation.
Regardless, this has only fueled Aidah’s passion for advocating for climate and gender justice. She emphasizes that we should not limit our activism to online platforms, and that on-the-ground work is equally as important. In fact she “calls upon women in power to use their influence to push for girl-child education, [ensure that] more girls are in the rooms where policies that affect them are being formulated, and also to sign off on such policies”. She ends on a note that reminds us that we can continuously strive for more: “we cannot have climate justice without gender justice”.
Photos of Aidah Nakku:
Aidah holding up a placard during a strike with the Rise Up Movement
Evelyn Acham of the +1 Tree initiative handing over a tree to a lady
Some members of the Rise Up Movement.
Aidah and Joshua of the Rise Up Movement planting trees