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by Bonface Orucho, bird story agency…
African climate activist and founder Terry Owino, currently attending the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, is calling for greater inclusion of marginalized voices in climate policy discussions, particularly those of women, youth, and grassroots communities.
“There are some photos that have been making rounds of, you know, like the executive of the COP29 and there is no woman there. I mean, women have the brains to influence policy in a good way,” Terry Owino expressed in an interview.
“I’m here to speak on behalf of women that cannot get to COP, that cannot get the platform to express how they feel about the whole climate change situation,” she added.
According to the founder of EcoFEM initiative, an organisation that focuses on programs that intersect gender, climate change, and youth inclusion, bureaucratic barriers pose the greatest hindrance to accessing funding for small, local organisations, especially those led by women.
“Cutting the bureaucracy on the long and lengthy application processes, because such things push grassroots organisations and even organisations out of the funding model,” she explained.
“I am a founder, less than one year old. I’ve been doing the work. There’s evidence even in my community, you know… you cannot tell me to have five audited reports,” she added.
Owino believes that with sufficient capacity building, founders working on grassroots programs and initiatives can tap into available funding models to support their programs.
“In COP, there are a lot of people who are looking for projects to fund… It’s important for young people like me to paint a picture of their realities. People will buy into that and actually help you and support you passionately to make a difference.”
