As climate change worsens, impacting most greatly the communities who are doing the least to cause it, we are working to understand what drives displacement and tackling the issues forcing people to leave their homes.
Extreme wildfires and floods in Australia during the past few years have brought the climate crisis to our doorstep. People lost homes and livelihoods, were left stranded for days without drinking water waiting to be evacuated and are now facing difficult decisions on how to rebuild their lives.
What we’re experiencing in Australia is a small reflection of what is happening globally. More than 30 million people have already been displaced by climate fuelled extreme weather events.
It is the communities that are doing the least to cause climate change that are experiencing the greatest impacts.
Our commitment to tackling climate-driven displacement
At Act for Peace, we are committed to transforming the system to address the root causes of the climate crisis, as well as providing support for communities already impacted.
To prevent whole communities having to move to survive in the future, governments must invest more to help them mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. In each context, uniquely adapted solutions are required – solutions like those being innovated by our partner Christian Care in Zimbabwe (see opposite).
With your support, Act for Peace is working with communities around the globe, backing them to both prevent climate-driven displacement and to find solutions for people already uprooted from their homes.
How we’re supporting communities in Zimbabwe to adapt to a changing climate
Meet Ariko*, a beekeeper from Zimbabwe.
In recent years Zimbabwe has experienced a rapidly changing climate, including an increase in severe droughts. The ways communities such as Ariko’s made a living off conventional farming are no longer sustainable.
One bad drought can leave entire communities facing displacement.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Act for Peace is working with our local partner in Zimbabwe, Christian Care, to help farmers diversify the way they earn an income and be better placed to meet the challenges of a changing climate.
Farmers like Ariko are adapting to a rapidly changing climate by learning new skills like beekeeping. Act for Peace
Engaging with the latest climate science, Christian Care is equipping farmers like Ariko with new livelihood skills, equipment, and expert training in areas such as Conservation Farming, small livestock farming, and beekeeping.
Picking up beekeeping has been a steep learning curve for Ariko, but the benefits of the practice are twofold. He can make good money from selling the honey and there is the added environmental benefit of cross-pollination when the beekeeping units are set up next to other crops.
“There’s a real science around it which the farmers are all learning along the way, and we’ve had reports back from farmers involved in the project that they’re just ecstatic“, says Tracey Robinson, Act for Peace International Project Coordinator.
Thank you for backing communities in Zimbabwe on the frontline of the climate crisis. With your help and the support of the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP), this work is possible.
We hope Ariko’s willingness to innovate, learn and adapt can serve as inspiration as we continue to tackle this crisis together.
* Name changed for safety reasons.
