Women for Climate Action in 2019

18 January 2019 (UN Environment)* — Heba Al-Farrah has a goal: to spread environmental awareness and climate action among women across the Middle East and North Africa.

Photo from UN Environment.

Since winning the Young Champions of the Earth prize in 2018 for West Asia, her vision has come a long way and she plans to take the action further.

“At the start of my journey, I faced some challenges regarding the set-up of my organization in Kuwait. But together with support from colleagues in the region, we are tackling these together, and look forward to stronger collaboration in 2019,” she said.

“We have managed to complete market surveys and ramped up our social media engagement to measure the needs among women in the region for raising environmental awareness. I have come across many inspirational stories among the women I have spoken with,” she said.

“We need to measure the needs in our communities across generations, to improve and increase awareness among women and the community as a whole regarding environmental issues. It’s interesting to be a part of this movement for a cleaner future.”

One of the exciting activities Al-Farrah has lined up is a forum titled: “Women 4 Climate” which aims to train women in actions they can take towards environmental protection. It also encourages women to speak up on the topic by engaging them as speakers, providing them with logistical and moral support to lead such events.

“I believe platforms such as this can build the momentum we need to inspire women to take environmental action,” she said.

This year, Al-Farrah is working on launching her website, logo and other assets to galvanize support. As well as building the company profile and team, she is continuing her work as a speaker in Kuwait, to raise the voice of women on environmental topics.

“I’m looking forward to taking our engagement in the region to the next level in 2019, spreading awareness among women, offering training and inspiring women to speak up on environmental issues,” she said.

“Together with UN Environment, I believe this next year brings many exciting opportunities for us, and I invite women around the world to join me. Together we can bring change on the ground, and support each other to protect our environment,” she said.

We encourage everyone who wants to make a difference for our planet to see if they have what it takes to be a Young Champion of the Earth. Stay tuned to this website—the application portal is opening soon! The Young Champions of the Earth Prize is powered by Covestro.

*SOURCE: UN Environment. Go to ORIGINAL. 2019 Human Wrongs Watch