AYICC-K GIVES A PRESENTATION AT THE MERCY CORPS CONFERENCE



 Antony giving a brief of what to expect during the presentation
On Monday the 30th of April 2013, AYICC-K was invited to give a presentation to the Mercy Corps regional directors who were participating in an in house conference. This conference brought together all the directors including the country director and the assistant. This was a very interesting and challenging presentation first because we were dealing with an audience which did not have an understanding of what climate change is but was interested in taking part and playing a role in its mitigation and secondly because we had to use 20minutes to make them understand and convince them that it is worth playing a major role in its mitigation and adaptation. AYICC-K was represented by Antony Ogolla, the Chief Coordinator and Njeri Nancy who participated in the capacity not only as a member of the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change  (AYICC-K) ,but also as a communication intern at the Kenya School of Government. The conference was geared towards fostering cordial relations with AYICC-K and possible future engagements on tackling climate change from the youth perspectives.

  A section of the participants during the presentation
                            
Just to bring you up to speed with this organization, African Youth Initiative on Climate Change –Kenyan chapter is an umbrella organization which provides a platform for young people to engage in various activities for personal growth and also towards initiating sustainable developments and environmental conservation.

We hear about it, other times see it and in extreme circumstances, have first-hand experience on the adverse effects that come along with it. However; most of us have dry knowledge when it comes to climate change .This is attributed to the thought many possess concerning the same. However, climate change remains the biggest threat to humanity in modern times. The African continent is particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and science affirms that if the emissions aren’t curbed, droughts and floods will be more common and agricultural yields which form the backbone of most of Africa’s economy will decline dramatically. The result will be starvation, migration, resource wars and tremendous suffering.

Mercy Corps works with youth to address the root of conflict and empower them to champion peace. In addition, they promote sustainable change by supporting initiatives that are community-led, market-driven and promote good governance, a goal which the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change also upholds. For this purpose therefore, youth and climate change is one of the areas the organization endeavors to engage in and AYICC-K is best suited to provide the needed platform for their youth.

About Mercy Corps

The organization was founded in 1979 as Save the Refugees Fund, a task force organized by Dan O’Neill in response to the plight of Cambodian refugees fleeing the famine, war and genocide of the “killing fields.” Its mission is to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. In its operation the organization believes that
  • Communities are the best agents of their own change.
  • Local markets are the best engines of sustainable recovery.
  • Success is built on the foundation of good governance.
The organization employs the following strategy in its work
  • Focus on places in transition, where conflict, disaster, political upheaval or economic collapse present opportunities to challenge the status quo and build more secure, productive and just communities.
  • Provide emergency relief in times of crisis, then move quickly to help communities recover and build resilience to future shocks.
  • Promote sustainable change by supporting initiatives that are community-led, market-driven and promote good governance.
  • Seek innovation that creates major breakthroughs against poverty and lasting change in the places we work.
 Njeri giving a brief about AYICC-K


                                           
    Prepared by Antony Ogolla and Njeri Nancy

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