Every child has the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable and abundant environment. And yet, worldwide …

ChildFund’s approach to climate action is rooted in the understanding that human systems must transform to ensure the safe, clean, biodiverse and abundant environment children and youth need to grow up healthy, educated, skilled and safe. This requires holistic approaches at all levels of society, centering not only child and youth needs but also their meaningful and active participation in climate action at the community, national and international levels.

At the local level, this looks like prioritizing children’s and young people’s right to information, resources and participation in environmental care and climate adaptation within their communities. It also looks like helping build their skills and facilitating opportunities for them to raise their voices on the national and even global stage to call for action on the climate crisis, and for the opportunity to play a meaningful role in preventing further environmental degradation and protecting the future that is their right. Learn More: ChildFund Youth for Climate Action Learning Brief

To help communities build their resilience to climate shocks, we collaborate with local partner organizations to take proactive, child-focused action as relevant to the local context. This includes climate-smart agriculture initiatives like drought-resilient crops and planting techniques, water management like drip irrigation, water conservation methods and rainwater harvesting, and diversifying livelihoods to reduce reliance on climate-sensitive income. Where sudden storms and flooding are becoming increasingly frequent, disaster risk reduction activities and enhanced early warning systems for climate disasters are prioritized. Most everywhere, it includes building climate-resilient water and food supplies as well as infrastructure, such as flood defenses for schools. It requires leveraging local experience and traditional wisdom to keep efforts relevant and sustainable.
Learn More: ChildFund's Regreening Africa Project

Children and youth need information about what the health and preservation of nature and ecosystems mean for them now and in the future. Understanding that they are part of nature, that nature is part of them, inspires action — action that can in turn enhance young people’s mental health and well-being by easing the pervasive climate anxiety that their generation experiences more than any before. In many communities where ChildFund works, local partner organizations support communities to apply nature-based solutions like reforestation and afforestation to prevent erosion, improve water quality or provide shade. We also promote reduction of food waste and recycling as well as sustainable farming and livelihoods. Children and youth play a large role in educating their communities about and bringing them together to enact environmental care. Learn More: ChildFund Philippines supports youth to care for their environment

At ChildFund, we know that sustainability starts with us, and that we need to do our part as an organization before we ask children and families in our programs to do theirs. So, guided by new environmental standards, an environmental policy and youth representatives from Africa, Asia and the Americas, we are taking actions like sourcing local food and no plastic for events, amping up recycling in our offices, switching to energy-saving lighting (our Sierra Leone office has even gone full solar!) and more.