Issue
Health and livelihoods of vulnerable communities in Lesotho are affected by the impacts of climate change, resulting in increased youth unemployment and food insecurity.
Project partners
How we are helping
The project aims to accelerate climate action by actively engaging young individuals in policy implementation and the development of strategies to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
About the project
In the 2020 ND-GAIN Index, Lesotho ranked as ‘highly vulnerable to climate change’. As global temperatures continue their upward trend, it becomes imperative to mitigate the effects of climate change and formulate adaptive strategies. Despite young people having the potential to drive action, they often lack access to the necessary information and their voices are often absent from decision-making processes.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Lesotho faces two critical developmental challenges: food insecurity and youth unemployment. The impacts of climate change are expected to exacerbate these issues. Therefore, it is crucial for young individuals to have a say in addressing this crisis and in identifying sustainable solutions. Climate-related activities and responses offer opportunities for young people to contribute to the fight against climate change while improving their own livelihoods.
The project’s primary objective is to inspire and empower young people to assume leadership roles in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, both at the national and international levels. This will involve expanding their knowledge about climate change and providing them with platforms to take meaningful climate action, thereby amplifying their voices and facilitating their participation in policy implementation. This will be achieved by:
- Training young people to be educators on climate change
- Facilitating the formation of a youth climate action leaders group and supporting the group and its coaches to develop a community awareness plan
- Sharing climate change impact stories developed by youth climate action leaders via print media, national radio talk shows and sporting events
- Supporting young climate action leaders to undertake a project to highlight the importance and potential of youth action
- Holding three one-day climate action forums led by youth climate action leaders with the participation of stakeholders, including policy-makers
- Publishing a Youth Climate Action Report with recommendations for youth-led climate action, including youth involvement in climate action policy development.
As a result of the project, through the delivery of sports-based climate education activities (covering topics including land degradation, water preservation and loss of biodiversity) it is hoped that young people will have increased awareness of climate issues; be equipped to take climate action in their communities and to promote wider community awareness of climate change through storytelling; and will engage with policy and decision-makers to inform climate action policies and legislation.
Project Partners
Kick4Life F.C. is a unique football club based in Lesotho. It is a registered charity and a social enterprise with offices in Lesotho, the UK and the USA. Their mission is to change the lives and long-term prospects of vulnerable young people in Lesotho, through a wide range of social development activities focused on health, education and support towards sustainable livelihoods. As a football club committed to social change, Kick4Life brings together the football industry and the Sport for Development sector. This model enables the organisation to change lives off the pitch as well as leading systemic change in the industry. In 2020, Kick4Life was recognised as the first top flight club in the world to commit to gender equal budgets.
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