By Ben Musanje
Women in coastal African communities are not just victims of climate change, they are leading solutions, according to Audrey Masitsa, Regional Communication & Advocacy Coordinator at Mission Inclusion.
Masitsa spoke on Thursday during an online cross-border science café organized by the AMSCC Consortium on gender, health, and climate change, which brought together over 100 journalists from Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, South Africa, and other countries. She emphasized that women are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation and extreme weather events such as droughts and heavy rainfall, which are increasingly common in regions like Kenya’s Kilifi County.
“Women are traditionally careers—they manage households, care for children, and provide food and firewood. With climate change, these tasks become even harder. Women often have to travel longer distances to fetch resources, work harder to secure food, and deal with heightened risks such as gender-based violence,” Masitsa explained. She highlighted how stress from livelihoods, such as fishing, can lead to domestic tension, underscoring the complex social dimensions of climate change.
Mission Inclusion is working to ensure gender issues are central to climate adaptation and environmental conservation initiatives. Masitsa stressed that women’s knowledge and skills are critical to climate solutions but are often overlooked. The organization works with communities to combine scientific research with local knowledge and lived experiences, co-creating practical solutions that are culturally relevant.
One example is women-led mangrove restoration projects in Kenya. Women in these communities don’t just participate—they govern the mangrove areas, raise seedlings in nurseries, and even sell seedlings to other groups and NGOs. Some groups integrate a blue economy component, such as producing and selling mangrove honey, giving women both ecological and economic leadership roles.
In addition to environmental initiatives, Mission Inclusion helps women and youth develop business and technical skills related to the blue economy, addressing barriers like access to loans and market opportunities. “We coach them on negotiating skills, budgeting, branding, and product development so that they can compete with larger companies while maintaining the value of handmade, natural products,” Masitsa said.
Masitsa also emphasized the role of media in amplifying women’s voices. She encouraged journalists to go beyond portraying women as vulnerable or passive beneficiaries and instead highlight them as agents of change. “Effective coverage should feature women speaking for themselves, linking local stories to policies, and showing how communities are shaping climate adaptation,” she said.
Visual storytelling was highlighted as particularly important. Masitsa advised capturing women in leadership roles such as chairing meetings or managing projects rather than relying on posed photos that reinforce stereotypes. She also emphasized ethical reporting, informed consent, and context: explaining why women are “vulnerable” and what empowerment looks like in real terms.
By connecting local experiences to national policies and global climate agendas, Masitsa argued that journalists have the power to elevate community voices to platforms like COP, ensuring that lived experiences inform climate resilience and gender equality initiatives.
“Our goal is not just to raise awareness but to put people at the center of climate solutions,” Masitsa said. “Women are not only affected by climate change they are shaping the response, and their knowledge, skills, and leadership are critical to building sustainable communities.”
The science café underscored the importance of cross-border collaboration, capacity-building for journalists, and innovative storytelling to bridge scientific knowledge, community experiences, and policy change across Africa.(For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
