Community-led?
As the first speaker, Joshua Chibuyi (CARE Netherlands), started off with sharp questions; if communities are visible in our meetings and pictures, but invisible in final decisions, who is really leading the project? Can we really call it community-led? Whose knowledge counts? He gives an example of the construction of a bridge in Honduras. The community members warned that the river would often change course, but the engineers trusted their technical expertise and built the bridge anyway on the spot they deemed suitable. When floods came, the river moved, and the bridge was no longer over water. So, that raises the question, what would adaptation look like if local knowledge guided the solution from the start? Who defines the problem, and who designs the solution?
‘’Is it still community-led systems if the systems are designed for communities and not by communities?’’ – Joshua Chibuyi
Having community members in the room is not enough, explains Joshua. They need to have an actual say in decision making. Gatekeepers often open doors, but they may not have the best understanding of the problems, or the solutions. It is, therefore, critical to engage with a variety of stakeholders. We need to change the way we work and think, we need to design systems that put communities first. There is a shift needed from symbolic visibility of communities to real decision-making power.
Youth participation
Millicent Ongute (Sio-Malaba-Malakisi Young Water Diplomats) took over and emphasized what Joshua had said, by explaining that outside organisations come in and try to improve the area, without really listening to the communities. She mentioned the case of the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi water basin shared between Kenya and Uganda, that is affected by increasing temperatures and less predictable rainfall patterns. Including the climate impact, this led to people getting sick because of the water from this basin. Public reports indicate there was public participation of youth voices with government, but there is less evidence that they actually shaped decision making. A majority of youths do not know that their voices can be heard and that they can participate in water justice by stating their struggles. SMM is trying to change that by equipping grassroots youth with tools on climate governance and hydro-diplomacy, integrating youth and indigenous knowledge in all project cycle, and institutionalizing youth-led decision making in climate programmes. They call for collaboration in strengthening youth capacity in climate leadership and transboundary water governance through youth fellowship programmes.
‘’We are creating an impulse for change, a future where power flows like water: shared, just and life giving.’’ – Millicent Ongute
Community engagement
Jacob Baraza (Water Practice International), talked about how to translate community engagement in lasting solutions. Indigenous and local knowledge is critical in the design of local projects. But you must ask yourself the question whether you are really using this knowledge in the design of projects. The concept of locally-led is very good on paper, but in reality, on the ground, it has its own challenges. Jacob brings up the issue of politics, which is often ignored in designing projects, he says. Politicians have their own goals. That leads to the question, should we listen to donors, or do we go by the realities on the ground?
To move forward in community engagement and climate and water solutions, holistic approaches are needed. We need to look at the bigger picture, considering the system within which it exists rather than having a narrow view of the project in isolation. Reflect not just on what is happening upstream and how this will affect downstream but also the surrounding environment. We also need to ensure that NGOs ways of communication with local communities actually fit how local communities receive news. Here, Jacob repeats and emphasizes the message of Joshua, that being in the room is not the same as participation.
Concluding
Climate change issues are power imbalance issues, as those who face most of the effects of climate change are contributing the least to it, and are often left out of decision-making processes. Therefore, it is important to not only know that a community-led approach is vital, but to also really act on that and to make sure that it is actually happening in practice. Because community-led climate justice isn’t a theory – it is a practice. And it starts with each of us choosing to step beyond our comfort zones.
Pictures by Nina Akollo