Explore Our Oral History Collection
CKC conducted oral histories of people on the frontlines who understand its real impacts. Their solutions need to be heard.
Name: Bhavya George
Title: Climate Change Program Coordinator
Affiliated Organization: Keystone Foundation
Location: Kotagiri, India
Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship, Climate Justice, Biodiversity, Climate Technologies, Climate Resilience
Quote: “They say the tree phenology has changed, and the ecological flow of the water has changed. This is one perception that the community links with climate change, how all these changes in the forest are creating issues related to the scarcity of food and fodder and water for the wildlife there…”
Name: Fatou Ndoye
Title: Coordinator of the Food Security Pole
Affiliated Organization: Enda Graf Sahel
Location: Saloum Delta, Senegal
Keywords: Gender Equity, Climate Technologies, Food Systems, Climate Adaptation, Biodiversity
Quote: “The coconut palms that had lined the sea were on the ground, houses were flattened, the road leading to the pier was so narrow that I wondered if a vehicle would ever be able to reach its destination. In addition, women in the community had to borrow canoes to search for shells far out in the ocean as they walked to the edge of the shore to fill their basin with products. This is how I truly understood how climate change was ravaging this island area.”
Name: Fatoumata Fall
Title: Facilitator and Community Liaison
Affiliated Organization: Enda Graf Sahel
Location: Saloum Delta, Senegal
Keywords: Water, Oceans, & Ecosystems, Gender Equity, Food Systems, Climate Resilience, Climate Education
Quote: “One can easily see that there is a rural exodus—an underground migration– occurring due to the scarcity of rain…those who used to live off the income from fishing have difficulty surviving. Their best recourse is to attempt to migrate.“
Name: Tonya Gayle
Title: Executive Director
Affiliated Organization: Green City Force, USA
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Keywords: Food Systems, Public Health & Climate, Youth Engagement, Climate Justice, Land Stewardship
Quote: “Historically, women have always been involved in nonprofit work. You could debate whether they’ve been the drivers in climate. To some extent, the answer is, yes … not surprisingly, women just get things done. They figure it out. But that shouldn’t have to be the case.”
Name(s): Menya Muzamiru (with Mary Suzan Abbo, Dr. John Badhwe, Jessie, Lucy, Esther, Nikki, Moses, Margaret, and Harriet Achieng)
Title: Executive Director
Affiliated Organization: Rural Country Development Organization (RUCODE)
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Keywords: Climate Technologies, Gender Equity, Forest Biodiversity, Climate Education, Gender-Based Violence
Quote: “Now this is a [rural] women’s movement, inspiring and motivating others to start up and strengthen their businesses…some of them are individual women entrepreneurs, some of them are women leaders in their companies, some of them are working in networks. They are ALL working as women for a common cause…”
Name: Harriet Achieng
Title: Gender & Climate Specialist
Affiliated Organization: RUCODE
Location: Kampala, Uganda
Keywords: Gender Equity, Climate Technologies & Education, Gender-based Violence
Quote: “Women have really lagged behind, so my passion is about relieving women of the burden by enhancing them with the right technologies and tools and skills ... .to relieve them of the burden of work from home to office to school to wherever.”
Name: Peninah Nthenya Musyimi
Title: Founder
Affiliated Organization: Awesome Blossoms and Safe Spaces
Location: Mathare, Nairobi
Keywords: Food Systems, Gender Equity, Climate Adaptation, Youth Engagement, Gender-Based Violence
Quote: “Their lands are dry, the rivers have dried, and the seasons have changed dramatically…This has really affected the planting seasons in the rural homes and the wells and rivers have dried, too, forcing them now to start scrambling to move into the cities in search of livelihoods.”
Name: Naiyan Kiplagat
Title: Founder and Executive Director
Affiliated Organization: Paran Women GroupGender Equity, Food Systems, Gender-Based Violence, Youth Engagement
Location: Narok South, Kenya
Keywords: Forest Biodiversity
Quote: “[Men] leave women behind, and the women remain with the children at home, and when they remain with children at home they have nothing to eat…That’s when we sat down and decided on income generating activities because we saw that most of the women in their homes are vulnerable and poor.”
Name: Olivia Scott Kamkwamba
Title: Executive Director
Affiliated Organization: Moving Windmills Project
Location: Kasunga, Malawi
Keywords: Climate Technologies, Gender Equity, Climate Education, Disaster Risk Reduction, Food Systems
Quote: “At times, ideals around change and innovation can feel combative or at odds with the prevailing norms… give non-traditional candidates a chance. Find people who may not know how to give voice to the actions they make intuitively.”
Name: Gemma May-Kimani
Title: Global Programme Manager
Affiliated Organization: Moving Windmills Project
Location: Kasunga, Malawi
Keywords: Food Systems, Climate Technologies, Gender Equity, Youth Engagement, Climate Resilience
Quote: “We also help [women] make decisions based on their own thoughts and experiences…culturally, men are usually the decision-makers and women are hesitant to speak up in the presence of men. We are trying to work on women mentoring.”
Name: Jo Ashbridge
Title: Founder and Executive Director
Affiliated Organization: Azuko
Location: Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Keywords: Climate Resilience, Cities & the Built Environment, Gender Equity, Land Stewardship, Climate Education
Quote: “...it is still difficult, culturally, for some women to raise their hand and ask questions if it’s a mixed group. We create a bit of a safe space. And women feel that they can fully engage in both the theoretical and hands-on training of it.”
Name: Apu Chandra Roy
Title: Program manager
Affiliated Organization: AzuKo and Nirapod Bangladesh Songstha
Location: Dinajpur, Bangladesh
Keywords: Water Ecosystems, Climate Resilience, Cities & the Built Environment, Gender Equity, Climate Education
Quote: “In addition to the slums, we also work in rural areas where we’ve formed more than 30 community groups. Each group usually includes 15 to 30 members, mostly women. These village groups take the lead in identifying their local issue whether it’s related to housing, sanitation, water, or agriculture and they work together to solve them.”
Name: Iracema Waleska Crowe
Title: Former Deputy Director
Affiliated Organization: Engineers without Borders for Guatemala
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge, Climate Technologies, Climate Resilience, Climate Justice, Water Ecosystems
Quote: “ I believe there is hope if humanity opens spaces to indigenous peoples’ perspectives from around the world. On one side we have science and that’s going to be always so important. We need scientists. On the other hand, I think indigenous people should be allowed to be part of coming up with solutions. Indigenous people, who have kept their practices, have experience in how to live a different type of life than what we are used to.”
Name: Alice Jallois
Title: Design
Affiliated Organization: Colectiva Tramando
Location: Santiago, Chile
Keywords: Arts and Storytelling, Climate Justice, Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship, Climate Education
Quote: “We want to remember a way of letting our collective memory not die. It’s so important if these memories, if these stories go, then the story will repeat itself again as it always does.”
Name: Claudia Moreno
Title: Design
Affiliated Organization: Colectiva Tramando
Location: Santiago, Chile
Keywords: Climate Justice, Arts and Storytelling, Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship
Quote: “I think climate change is like a social issue in Chile. There is social injustice in all of this because it’s always the poor people who are the most affected.”
Name: Belén Gallardo
Title: Producer
Affiliated Organization: Colectiva Tramando
Location: Santiago, Chile
Keywords: Climate Justice, Arts and Storytelling, Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship
Quote: “Then, I understood, it did not only happen in the forest, but it happens in the ocean. I think I am always learning in different ways– knowledge, disciplines, people, narratives. I think in time, I arrived at physically weaving, because I was always weaving.”
Name: Daniella Contreras
Title: Project Director
Affiliated Organization: Colectiva Tramando
Location: Santiago, Chile
Keywords: Climate Justice, Arts and Storytelling, Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship
Quote: “I want my art to be and show some connection to the people and to the memories of our past. That is what is most important to me, and precisely why I work in tapestry. Tapestry is part of our memory, and our memories need to be shaped and woven to keep each narrative alive.”
Name: Mariana Gaete
Title: Editing and Conservation
Affiliated Organization: Colectiva Tramando
Location: Santiago, Chile
Keywords: Climate Justice, Arts and Storytelling, Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship
Quote: “Textiles have always been devices to show the history of people or show the culture, what their gods believed in, the food they ate, what is necessary, always…On the other hand, for me, as a moody person, I am really connected to the climate and how it changes because it affects me a lot.”
Name: Daniella Rossi
Title: Production Assistant
Affiliated Organization: Colectiva Tramando
Location: Santiago, Chile
Keywords: Climate Justice, Arts and Storytelling, Biodiversity, Indigenous Knowledge, Land Stewardship
Quote: “As a mother of two children, ages 18 and 20, I constantly think about their future and the fear their generation must face. What affects me the most is their anguish because, through my children, I witness firsthand how climate change impacts their anxiety about the future.”
Name: Sister Diane Cundiff
Title: Director
Affiliated Organization: Colegio Santa Maria
Location: Sao Paolo, Brazil
Keywords: Climate education, Renewable energy, Water Collection, Youth
Quote: "What we (Colegio Santa Maria) try to always do is involve the students in projects where they can do the work. That helps them become aware of climate change and the necessity of understanding how it happens, what happens, and what are some projects that can be done on a small scale in terms of students."
Name: Sister Comfort Arthur
Title: Founder & Director
Affiliated Organization: SOAR (Sisters Organizing and Advancing Recycling), member of the International Justice Committee of Holy Cross
Location: Takoradi, Western Region, Ghana
Keywords: Youth education, Plastic Waste Recycling, Public Health
Quote: "Our rain pattern and then the dry season pattern have changed completely, and that's what we realize. Knowing that, first of all, even the bodies of water are also polluted with this plastic waste. It's everywhere because people litter in the streets, and then at the end when it rains, it's all washed down to the rain or the water bodies, and then it affects the aquatic life. It affects our farmers because then if the soil is mixed up, it also affects our crop production as well."
Name: Sister Jacinta Mueni
Title: Director
Affiliated Organization: Kyembogo Holy Cross Health Centre
Location: Kirinda, Western Region of Uganda
Keywords: Health care, Climate Change Adaptation
Quote: "It [climate change] affects the community in the sense that they will not have enough to eat or support their families, or maybe even be able to carry out their daily routines, or even educate their children. They rely more on the crops. So if there are no crops, it means there's no really sustainable life for the communities."
Name: Sister Semerita Mbambu
Title: Coordinator
Affiliated Organization: St. Baquita Human Trafficking Network
Location: Kampala-Uganda
Keywords: Human Trafficking, Gender-based Violence, Climate Change Adaptation
Quote: "We are now getting confused. When is planting season? When will it rain? And then the place is getting dry. We used to get vegetables…So, the effect on that is that there's a lot of famine in some places."
Name: Trupti Jain
Title: Co-founder
Affiliated Organization: Naireeta Services, Inc
Location: Gujarat, India
Keywords: Women’s empowerment, Bhungroo Irrigation Technology, Climate Change Adaptation
Quote: “I am trying to develop their capacities. Women have leadership qualities. Women must have self-respect and self-dignity. The second thing is that as a woman leader, I must make sure that I address the stakeholders and point out that they can learn from this (with women as leaders). It is hard, but we need to both understand it and project it on the right platform.”
Name: Naw Kenralel Moo
Title: Field Researcher
Affiliated Organization: Women’s Research Group, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Location: Kawthoolei, Myanmar
Keywords: Biodiversity, Food insecurity, Indigenous communities, traditional knowledge
Quote: “Many people are in very difficult conditions. They are struggling to find rice to eat. In the future, I think that if we don't protect our environment, we will be struggling. But if we can preserve nature and the environment, things will be better and we can deal with the food security problem.”
Name: Naw Paw Tha
Title: Plant Nursery Garden Lead
Affiliated Organization: Women’s Research Group, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Location: Kawthoolei, Myanmar
Keywords: Biodiversity, Food insecurity, Indigenous communities, traditional knowledge
Quote: “In 2018, something very painful happened. My husband was killed by the Burmese army. This was the hardest moment of my life. Losing him changed everything for me. It was not only a personal loss, but it also became a turning point…Since then, I have decided to keep moving forward, not just for myself but for my community. I have dedicated my life to protecting our forests and defending the rights of our people.”
Name: Naw Yen Poe
Title: Bird Specialist
Affiliated Organization: Women’s Research Group, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Location: Kawthoolei, Myanmar
Keywords: Biodiversity, Food insecurity, Indigenous communities, traditional knowledge
Quote: “Because some bird species will become extinct soon, we must do the research and try to protect them. This is very important to the local community because some people use birds (we call “kobuhana”) for a ceremony. They perform this ceremony for harvesting ...The community grows up with the birds and animals, and they live together with them.”
Name: Sara Elvira Caz Si
Title: Educator
Affiliated Organization: Community Cloud Forest Conservation, Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation
Location: Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Keywords: Agroforestry, Water Insecurity, Women’s Leadership, Gender-based Violence
Quote: “When I was younger, the question I wanted to answer was ‘What is it that creates a criminal? There are many victims of sexual misconduct. A lot of times, their cases never get resolved. I think that this lack of response has a tremendous negative impact psychologically, emotionally, and socially. Sexual crimes (and sexual abuse) affect the whole society.”
Name: Silvia Leticia Mez Caal
Title: Educator
Affiliated Organization: Community Cloud Forest Conservation, Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation
Location: Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Keywords: Agroforestry, Water Insecurity, Women’s Leadership, Gender-based Violence
Quote: “The dry season typically starts at the end of March and April. To be up there in what is supposed to be the rainy season and for everyone to be without water, is jolting and alarming. Also, the groundwater is so depleted that even the springs weren't running. After I left that high elevation area and returned to my home village, I worried about what these women were going to do in April (the dry season).”
Name: Yolanda Regina Cao Mez
Title: Educator
Affiliated Organization: Community Cloud Forest Conservation, Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation
Location: Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Keywords: Agroforestry, Water Insecurity, Women’s Leadership,, Gender-based Violence
Quote: “We have been working with small groups of young women to establish agroforestry plots. This practice helps protect crops by providing shade. In many cases, people clear trees before planting, but when temperatures rise, crops
suffer significantly.”
Name: Ixchel Melida Poou Beb
Title: Educator
Affiliated Organization: Community Cloud Forest Conservation, Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation
Location: Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
Keywords: Agroforestry, Water Insecurity, Women’s Leadership, Gender-based Violence
Quote: “People have tried to save their crops using agrochemicals, because there is no longer enough water, no longer enough resources. So, farmers turned to chemicals to try to rescue what they could. But this also affects our nutrition, and it affects our lives.”
WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE
Each oral history traces a person’s journey and needs, while collectively revealing patterns of resistance, innovation, and collaboration that challenge mainstream climate narratives and highlight practical solutions.
Many communities rely on oral traditions to pass down vital knowledge about climate patterns, plant varieties, and water cycles, among others. As a result, oral histories are essential for further spreading this knowledge, which often is overlooked, devalued, or suppressed in formal written records or external interventions. We currently have the capacity to transcribe the interviews into English, French, Spanish, and Gujarati. To ensure the voices of activists reach as many people as possible, our goal is to expand our network of volunteers so all languages are represented.
Harriet Achieng
Gender & Climate Specialist,
RUCODE
Kampala, Uganda
“Women have really lagged behind, so my passion is about relieving women of the burden by enhancing them with the right technologies and tools and skills ... .to relieve them of the burden of work from home to office to school to wherever.”
Iracema Waleska Crowe
Former Deputy Director,
Engineers without Borders for Guatemala
Boulder, Colorado
“ I believe there is hope if humanity opens spaces to indigenous peoples’ perspectives from around the world. On one side we have science and that’s going to be always so important. We need scientists. On the other hand, I think indigenous people should be allowed to be part of coming up with solutions. Indigenous people, who have kept their practices, have experience in how to live a different type of life than what we are used to.”
Ixchel Melida Poou Beb
Educator,
Community Cloud Forest Conservation, Women in Agroecology Leadership for Conservation
Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
“People have tried to save their crops using agrochemicals, because there is no longer enough water, no longer enough resources. So, farmers turned to chemicals to try to rescue what they could. But this also affects our nutrition, and it affects our lives.”
Jo Ashbridge
Founder and Executive Director,
Azuko
Dinajpur, Bangladesh
“...it is still difficult, culturally, for some women to raise their hand and ask questions if it’s a mixed group. We create a bit of a safe space. And women feel that they can fully engage in both the theoretical and hands-on training of it.”
Malkia John
Founder & Executive Director,
Sauti Salama
Nairobi, Kenya
“I dislike using the word "beneficiaries" because these women are equal co-creators. My strongest understandings of climate adaptation and care work come directly from sitting with these women, listening to them, and watching how they navigate their daily lives.”
Mariana Gaete
Editing and Conservation,
Colectiva Tramando
Santiago, Chile
“Textiles have always been devices to show the history of people or show the culture, what their gods believed in, the food they ate, what is necessary, always…On the other hand, for me, as a moody person, I am really connected to the climate and how it changes because it affects me a lot.”
Menya Muzamiru
Executive Director,
Rural Country Development Organization (RUCODE)
Uganda
Interview also with with Mary Suzan Abbo, Dr. John Badhwe, Jessie, Lucy, Esther, Nikki, Moses, Margaret, and Harriet Achieng. Executive Director at Rural Country Development Organisation (RUCODE), Uganda, Mr. Menya assembled a group of eight activists – journalists, social workers, teachers, pre-med students, businesspeople, and engineers – to discuss how and why they work together to help women and girls stand up against male-dominated societies to lead climate change initiatives.
Naiyan Kiplagat
Founder and Executive Director,
Paran Women’s Group
Narok South, Kenya
“[Men] leave women behind, and the women remain with the children at home, and when they remain with children at home they have nothing to eat…That’s when we sat down and decided on income generating activities because we saw that most of the women in their homes are vulnerable and poor.”
Naw Kenralel Moo
Field Researcher,
Women’s Research Group, Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Kawthoolei, Myanmar
“Many people are in very difficult conditions. They are struggling to find rice to eat. In the future, I think that if we don't protect our environment, we will be struggling. But if we can preserve nature and the environment, things will be better and we can deal with the food security problem.”
