Encouraging women in the Global South to use their voice

Jan 4

Yusra Shafi and other youth meet with UN climate chief Simon Stiell at COP28. Photo supplied by Yusra Shafi

By Patricia Lane & Yusra Shafi

These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.

Yusra Shafi is a 22-year-old immigrant from Kuwait. With KAIROS Canada, she is supporting women in Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Israel/Palestine, and South Sudan. She works to empower women to sustainably manage natural resources, build climate-resilient communities and participate in negotiations and decision-making that contribute to lasting and equitable peace with environmental justice.

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Droughts displace women who feed their families from small-holding farms. Extreme heat makes it unsafe for children to walk to school. Pollution makes drinking water scarce and creates hazards for children playing outside. Shortages cause conflict and when violence breaks out, women and children are in harm's way. Yet, too often, they have very little voice in the decisions which created the crises or fail to ameliorate them. KAIROS is a collective voice for 10 Canadian churches and church organizations working to improve human rights and social and environmental justice. The Women of Courage: Women, Peace and Security program partners with local women-led organizations in places impacted by militarized conflict to increase the leadership and voice of women in addressing the intersecting impacts of conflict, gender-based violence and climate change.

Peter Allan

Encouraging women in the Global South to use their voice

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