Fifteen youths will be part of the WE HAVE FAITH Caravan that will
start off from Nairobi, Kenya, through Tanzania and arrive in Malawi
in November next month as African youths prepare to have their voice
heard at the Climate Justice COP 17 in November/December 2011, Durban.

The youth, drawn from Christian faith mother bodies, the Malawi
Council of Churches (MCC), Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM), and
the Evangelical Association of Malawi (EAM), have so far met at the WE
HAVE FAITH Youth Campaign launch on 30th October, 2011 in the capital
city, Lilongwe, where they discussed modalities of the campaign.

Some of the youths have been identified by the African Youth
Initiative on Climate Change (AYICC), a youth non-governmental
organisation that spearheads climate matters in the country,
networking and coordinating with the rest of the African continent
youths and beyond.

They also presented their choice of circular and gospel musicians,
plus venue for the WE HAVE FAITH Concert that will take place in the
capital.

Presenting a faith view on climate change, MCC General Secretary Rev.
Dr. Osborne Joda-Mbewe said the earth was created by God for man. To
till and take care of. He also said God intended that there be trees,
water and food including meat for man to survive. He read from Genesis
through the creation of Adam and Eve and the stay in the Garden of
Eden.

“If you have no appetite then you have a problem. It is by God’s
design that humans eat, feel thirsty, and must therefore take care of
the earth which he created for us inorder to sustain life. Climate
change is an issue that God wants us to dwell on and correct the
situation,” he told the youthful participants drawn from across the
country.

Norwergian Church Aid – ACT Alliance programme officer, Jacob
Nyirongo, also said the WE HAVE FAITH campaign, which includes the WE
HAVE FAITH CARAVAN, the WE HAVE FAITH Petition, and the WE HAVE FAITH
Concert will take place through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia,
Botswana, and South Africa. An expected 200 youths will be on the
buses, including some CSO leaders to provide parental guidance and
support through the trip.

Security throughout the trip is also available.

“The 15 Malawian youths will join the caravan when it arrives in
Malawi for the concert. From here it will collect the petitions that
will have been signed demanding that world leaders commit themselves
to addressing climate change issues and in particular, the Kyoto
resolutions to make a world a better place,” he said.

World leaders including Barak Obama of the united States will be
meeting to discuss climate change in Durban, so will be faith
organisation, other civil society, and various stakeholder leaders.

Climate change issues are a current global threat, and countries
across the planet were asked to take a significant role in addressing
greenhouse gas effects which now hover around 25% as emitted, mainly,
by industrialized developed countries. Africa contributes only about
35% of the total carbon, with Malawi around 0.003%.

“Africans are responsible for a tiny proportion of global emissions,
both current and historic, yet are highly likely to be amongst the
world’s most affected people, threatened by unprecedented droughts,
floods, extreme weather, diminishing food security, poverty, forced
migration and increased conflict,” says ACT Alliance on its website.

“Tragically, all too many Africans assume that the increasing
hardships forced upon them are acts of God, not realising that these
hardships are ever more the consequence of human actions.”

However, main polluters like the USA have refused to sign the Kyoto
Protoccol and are not party to reducing the proposed 5% of its
emissions. So too Canada.

Issues around climate justice, such as Climate Credit, CDMs, and other
mitigant factors continue to place African and least developed
countries on the losing side, as their economies are pressurised and
huge polluters refuse to honour reparations as to their contirbution
to major climate change effects that affect most of the countries,
including earthquakes, floods, and droughts, economically and socially
challenging the marginalised poor youth.

As the WE HAVE FAITH campaign gathers steam in the country, youths and
all other stakeholders have been asked to sign a general petition that
has been designed to pressure world leaders to take action – and NOW!

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Tags: food, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania

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