Caravan Brief - Trans African Caravan of Hope Opening Ceremony Held in Kwa Zulu Natal University

We shall shout it loud. We must be heard

I am writing this piece from Kwa Zulu Natal University where we are meeting with all the caravanites who have travelled over 7000 kilometers to be here.I am sitted right at the back observing the whole room. It is electric with ululating women accompanied by chanting crowds. Watch the video  
http://youtu.be/QK-OvoOboP0

Happened A few Hours Ago...Story Coming Up

Rebecca Muna, ForumCC coordinating team member, Latif Amars, Project Manager, ForumCC and Beatrice Kamugisha, Caravan Coordinator

The ForumCC – also known as the Tanzanian Civil Society Forum on Climate Change  today held a press conference to discuss the Trans African Caravan of Hope and UNFCCC-COP 17. ForumCC is an association of civil society organisations committed to work on climate change in their own programs as well as through advocacy.  It brings together development and environment organizations, those with technical skills and those with a more delivery and advocacy focus.  Below is a press release sent out by ForumCC. More details will be sent to you later.

MEDIA RELEASE

PACJA to Participate in October 28 Durban Community Climate Change Summit

-Nairobi, October 22, 2011

PACJA’s Noah Zimba is scheduled to be part of a panel on climate change taking place on October 28, 2011 in Room L2, Memorial Tower Building, University of Kwa Zulu Natal in Durban , South Africa. The event takes place from 7 to 9 pm.

Other co-discussants on the panel include Patrick Bond from the Centre of Civil Society, UKZN and his colleagues Thando Manzi, Dudu Khumalo, Orlean Naidoo and Molefi Ndlovu.

This summit is part of the Harold Wolpe Memorial Lecture series.

The theme of the evening will be to link the broader climate change debate to the concrete and specific local issues like protecting people and beaches against e.coli floods, reconnecting electricity after devastating price hikes; creating “climate jobs”; demanding renewable energy, fending off South Durban fossil fuel attacks, confronting the carbon traders and contesting the so called “carbon debt”; halting Durban off shore oil drillers among other socio-economic concerns.

The Pan African Climate Justice Alliance through Noah Zimba, will be talking about COP 17 and the relevance of the United Nations from an African continental perspective.

This Harold Wolpe lecture functions supported financially by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and the National Lottery is one of the lead up events leading up to the COP 17 Summit also taking place in Durban from 28 November to the 9^th December 2011.


By Onyango Oloo

Pomp and Color to Mark Kenya's Gala Night Caravan Flag Off

In the build up to the CoP 17 meeting in Durban, different countries are involved in in-country activities to welcome and flag off the Trans African caravan of Hope. The caravanites will be coming to Kenya on the 13^th -14^th November, 2011. They arrive in Nairobi in the wee hours of the 13^Th  November, 2011  morning and leave on 14^Th November, 2011 morning.
To this effect, the Kenya Climate Change Working Group, the Kenyan host of the caravan has activities lined up to ensure that the caravanites have a memorable event here in Nairobi. There will be various activities before the caravan gets to Kenya which will be culminated with a Gala night to flag off the caravan.

PRE-CARAVAN ACTIVITIES LEADING UP TO THE GALA NIGHT

Schools and Campus Petition Drive

In collaboration with the Green Africa Foundation(a KCCWG member and recently the 2011 MDG award winner in the category of Environmental conservation) , KCCWG will have a petition drive in schools that will seek to educate young people on issues of Climate Change, what the talks in Durban are critical for their survival, sensitize them on the caravan. There are also volunteers within PACJA that are carrying out petition drives within different campuses. They will create a social media event on face book in which campus students will sign the petition online.

A Rural CBO Tells the Story of the Caravan and Climate Justice

Accessing the Planting Area

They heard about it, got interested and got involved. Now, they are telling the Trans African Caravan of Hope story. That is the story of Ibuka a community based organization situated in Meru County, Igembe south district, Ndia location.

Ibuka and the Trans African Caravan of Hope

This CBO is creating awareness on the caravan of hope and in the process, helping its community to better understand climate change and climate justice. They are also garnering for 50, 000 signatures for the Africa People’s Petition by the end of the fortnight. The group’s chairman, Jediel Akula Miori, adds emphatically, “As group leaders we know our team can do this.” Probably it is because of the membership numbers that this group has.  Ibuka, which means arise, was registered in 2008 and is a CBO that has a membership of 13 constituency groups and pulls in slightly over 800 members who meet with executive on a weekly basis.

Petition Signing in A Rainy Kenya

Map of Kenya

On a rainy Monday in Nairobi, Kenya, some youth who are working with the Trans African Caravan of Hope task force are hitting the streets and bringing in petition signatures.

So far, there has been addition of slightly over 7,000 signatures, just in the last 7 days. In just a few days, the 30,000 mark will be reached.Shortly afterwards a new mark will be hit. The young people on this say they have worked with all kinds of teams to ensure that they bring in signatures. Mickey says he has been working with secondary schools and colleges. His strategy is first meeting with the principal and the head of the environmental or wildlife clubs. After which he leaves the petition with them and collects them a few days later. The primary schools he tells me, 'We have to wait for them to finish their exams especially for the public primary schools."Adding that they have had to go through the Nairobi City Council for official requests.

Shiro, who is a university student, has been recruiting her friends to help her rally the signatures.She says she has had to sell the idea to her friends for them to understand what it is they are asking people to sign against. It is also helping her friends explain what the petition is all about. Not bad for a team of youth who are spreading the word on climate justice.

The networks are now reaching most of Kenya which is encouraging seeing that some of these areas are Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. To all those participating, we say,Kudos, keep going.

By Maria Wanza