Equip kids to fight climate change
Focus: Children and Youth, Environment
Flash floods and landslides have frequently ravaged Uttarakhand in the last few years – which experts say is a result of unsustainable urbanisation.
This has even prompted a nine-year-old girl from the state to file a petition against the government for its inaction, and for jeopardising her generation's future.
The UN says the next decade will see 175million children affected annually by climate-related disasters.
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Help children take action to save their futures
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Rampant deforestation and urbanisation have wreaked havoc in Uttarakhand's weather patterns and caused rising temperatures. Children are the innocent sufferers of poor air quality, contaminated water and extreme heat. If awareness about the impact of climate-altering actions of their parents' generation are denied to them, children will not be equipped to halt or reverse the damage and build sustainable lifestyles to protect their futures.
Uttarakhand is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its geographic location and its communities’ dependency on climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture, forestry, tourism and animal husbandry. Rapid infrastructure development has led to increased forest clearance and large scale dumping of garbage into rivers. It is imperative to bring these environment dangers to the attention of children, so they can find ways to address them.
THE PLANThe project will be implemented in four villages of Vikasnagar block of Dehradun, by about 800 children in bal sangathans (children’s groups). They will map villages, their risks and identify vulnerable places for disaster risk reduction and take action – tree plantation, practising wise use of natural resources, mock drills and first aid training. Children will be encouraged to find local solutions that will eventually involve the community.
WALKING long distances from home to high school has its dangers in rural India - especially for adolescent girls. Help IHMP buy 50 cycles at ₹4,000 each so girls can ride to school, instead of dropping out.
EVERY year, 35,000 babies are born with cleft lip or palate in India - and currently one million need surgery. Help Mission Smile give this life changing op for free to five such children of poor families.
THE education system leaves youth ill-equipped to deal with situations beyond the textbook - especially those who enjoy little privilege. Help Medha teach critical life skills to 25 urban poor schoolgoers.