The GoGreen Environmental Health Sustainability Initiatives (GOEHSI) has empowered young people in a Benue State community to enable them take the lead in climate change action.
GOEHSI launched youth empowerment at the weekend in Achusa community in Makurdi local government area of Benue state to mark this year’s world Youth Climate Adaptation Action Day, a day that examines the role young people play in shaping a sustainable future and addressing the urgent challenge of climate change.
The Founder/President of GEHSI, Jackson Ameh, said the organisation is committed to creating meaningful change in communities, particularly those that are most vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change.
He said: “This commitment is reflected in the launch of our new initiative—the Empowering Youth Climate Adaptation Champions (EYAC) Project. The EYAC Project aims to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to not only survive but also thrive in the face of climate change.
“We have chosen to begin this journey here, in the Achusa Community of Makurdi Local Government Area, a place that has experienced firsthand the harsh realities of environmental degradation, flooding, and pollution. This pilot project marks the beginning of what we hope will be a broader movement toward climate resilience in our communities.”
Ameh added, “You, the youth, are the change agents, the ones with the energy, creativity, and passion to turn the tide. The EYAC Project is designed to support you in becoming climate adaptation champions by providing essential training, mentorship, and resources”.
On her part, the Programme Manager of GOEHSI, Priscilla Akumba, expressed confidence about the incredible impact youths will make as Climate Change Adaptation Champions in the Achusa community, adding that the project will be replicated in all 23 LGAs of Benue state.
Akumba explained that the EYAC project in partnership with Centre for Family Empowerment and Global Centre on Adaptation aimed to address climate change in smaller ways as they jointly donated trash cans, shovels, rain boots and other tools for the young people to clean up their community.
Responding, EYAC champions for the Achusa community, Doom Gum and Tyavkase Joseph, both promised to mobilise youths to handle their environment with utmost care deserving of climate mitigation as the major challenge in the area had been flooding and waste management.
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