#Its4U - Support grassroots women’s organisations, with SirCollins Manyasi

I am so delighted to introduce you to SirCollins Manyasi, who works with grassroots women’s organisations in Kenya, Africa. He is inspired to make a difference in women’s and children’s lives, ensuring the most basic needs are met, like access to water for drinking, cooking and farming. He’s got a smile that lights up a room, so have a listen and maybe you’ll be inspired too.

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Transcript

0:00

You. Welcome to twelve Days of Cop. I'm your host, Andrea Edwards. And today we are in Kenya, Nairobi with Sir Collins. Manyasi everyone keeps telling me how inspiring you are, so I'm really, really looking forward to hearing what you've got to say. So welcome. Thanks, Andrea, and glad connecting with you today. So, as you said, my name is Collins Maniasi. It's also AXA Collins, as you mentioned it. And I'm here in Nairobi, Kenya. And so glad just connecting with you and looking forward know have an amazing session with you. Yeah. And so just before we started talking, sir Collins was telling me that the name was actually inherited when he was still at high school. So you're obviously an impressive man back then as well. All right, so do you want to just share with everyone your background and what you do and why you do it? Okay, thank you so much. So I started biology in my university, and after that I've been so much passionate about research. And so part of the work I've been doing after the invest is volunteering and giving back to communities. And what really touched my interest on Climate environment is working with this grassroots women organization. And they were actually implementing the Adaptation Fund program, this huge global fund. And you had this grassroots women organization that was actually implementing this project in the rural areas, the Maasai indigenous in Kenya. And this experience kind of changed my whole perspective about what really it means when we talk about the effects of climate and the challenges that women face traveling kilometers and kilometers to get water, we had this aspect about the children taking care of the livestock. We have the drought issues. And so this aspect of the kind of challenges they face and looking at the other aspect about how they have built this kind of resilience to just adapt and stay strong. And so one of the components for this project was actually to give them water. It is a model called the Adaptation village model. And so one of the sites that we visited and they had a borehole for the water. And when it popped out and I saw the whole village coming around with the joy and the happiness, it touched my heart just to understand how water can turn a village that was so quiet into a vibrant city. And so, yeah, that's how my journey has been. And coming along with that and connecting with other organizations that deal with conservation environment and currently now working with such a vibrant youth network. It's called actually the East African Campuses and Colleges, green Network, where I also serve as the Advisor Board. If you see behind me and so through that, we had had a connection with Wild Climate School through Inga and thinking choices in the UK to bring about this message about it for you, which I'll talk about. That's awesome. That's really awesome. And especially working with women in the rural communities. Some of the stuff I'm reading, that's where the real change is happening, but it's also where the support isn't necessarily going. And there was a picture just today someone shared on LinkedIn which showed the delegates of Cop 28 and vast, vast, vast majority of them were men. And I say if we don't have women and minority groups at every decision making table, we're really not going to get it right, because it's the women who are actually doing the real work right in nature. So that's awesome. Like if you could go back to when you first started, whether it was when you're at university, what was it? So every time I speak to someone from Africa, I feel that everyone's so much further ahead in the actions that need to be taken, which obviously is because you guys are really on the front line of what's going on. But what was that first moment for you, that epiphany, when you realized you needed to get involved in this for the future of your country, your region and humanity? Do you have a moment? Yes, I do have a moment. And when I was at the university, I think in my second year, we had a group of students that traveled to one of the remote areas, rural areas, and it was actually a camp with the students coming across from the medical field, from the Christian Union and all this combined team to get to visit this place. And initially it used to be like a conflict from areas. And so we had a one week stay at the area and what we did was to interact with the community, get to home to home. And so I happened to visit with some kids to a homestead, and I got this lady, a mother who was actually sick on her bed, and the children implored to me like, no, we have to pass by our home. And so the story about her, I can't remember her, I can't even remember the name, but her story touched my heart to just think through about the little things that we can do to make sure we have a better world. And then maybe during that time, transport to the same place was a bit challenging. And we have one public bus that actually goes to the area one day until it gets back. And so when a public bus arrives in the evening, around four, five, the whole small town rises in Jubilation to welcome that. And so when I came back to Nairobi, I reflected on that a lot, and especially the children, I have a passion for children. And so by the time our students, we are leaving to come back to the city, there was this old joy and the kids coming along and saying, hey, I need you, get me your shoe, get me your t shirt or something. So it changed my whole perspective about even we talk about rural and the urban and when somebody's defining about the policies around a development and the reality on the ground. And so all along after that, when I finished my studies, that's how I flocked in to actually work with this grassroots women organization called Nasaro Women. And it kind of also just gave me the passion and inspiring stories of women and their role they play, actually, in making sure that we build a livelihood despite the challenges. That's the story around. It beautiful. I love it. I know we're sort of still pretty early days into Cop 28, but have you heard anything yet that sort of made you feel like they might do something special this year? Anything's giving you hope so far? Yes. I've been following up to what's happening, and I've had quite a number of my friends, actually, from Kenya who are actually attending Cop. And I think the opening up of the Loss and Damage Fund, I think that's been one of the things I know has come up along even before Cope. You remember Kenya. The government hosted the African Climate Summit in September 4 to 6th. And one of the highlights, even coming from the heads of states, was actually on how they need to balance that aspect that, yes, we know we have the developed and developing and the loss and damage idea. I've heard it so much of how that kind of fund can actually boost, especially for the projects and interventions in the development countries. So I'm still keen on what comes out of that. And I think that for me, where I sit, it's the right start. Yeah, it was a positive start, but it's so far below the number that we need annually. Right. That's one of the topics I'm definitely keeping an eye on, because if we don't get that right as a global society, we're really kidding ourselves. John Kerry I know six months ago, twelve months ago, said the US. Is not paying loss and damages funds, and they've only donated 17 million in this first round of announcements. But Germany is 100 million, for example. Right. But if we don't do it, if we don't help developing nations get ready for the extremes as well as upgrade their energy grids, then we're all going to be toast. So that closed thinking of it's not our responsibility, it's everybody's responsibility. Because if no one wants to move, but if people are forced to migrate, then we've got a whole other situation on our hands. Right? Yeah, I agree the stakes are high, but it's everyone's responsibility, and I totally agree with you. So we're still following up and hopefully to see how it turns around. But we have a role to play. And I hope that at the end of the Twelve Days of Cop, we have to sit down and reflect and see how actually we can do things better. Cool. Awesome. I love it. All right, so we're here to talk about it's for you. So let's start. Everyone I'm talking to has a different sort of interpretation, which I love because I think that's what's really appealing to me about it. So what does it's for you mean to you? Yes. Thank you. So it's for you. To me, it's about you have the power, you have the space, you have the skill, and you have the idea. And that idea, I don't have it. And so where I stand is when I say it's for you, it means you are in the right space, you have the idea, you have the innovative kind of thinking that when you put it on the table, it makes a difference. And so if you align it to the climate and the twelve days of Cope, basically it's for you means the discussion that's happening at the global and higher level, it can only make the meaning if it translates into whatever positive thing is happening on the ground. Like just the story I told you about a remote village somewhere in Kenya and people have no idea about cop. So when you talk about the climate crisis, so it's for you, it's just about, what is this little young man doing in somewhere? There's no network, no one knows about him or her. And actually she's making little steps to make her village better. So that's for me, what it's for you means that someone is doing unrecognized, not seen, but making a difference. And that's why we say Cop, it's for you because it's bringing the voices of the people not seen, but they're making a difference. Yes. Yeah. Beautiful. I think that's one of the best descriptions I've heard so far. Because it is those people that are actually really making the difference. They're on the front line, they're experiencing things. Most of the times they don't even have the technology to understand what's going on and what's changing. They're just dealing with it. Right. And they're adapting and they're planting different crops. But we do need to get communication to them about the risks that are coming, especially heat. That's a huge one, right. For all of us in the global south. So I'm in Thailand, where we hit wet bulb temperatures earlier this year. I know you've been dealing with extreme heat this year as well, and next year is looking hotter. So we need to hear these voices, these people. They're the ones that are really making the changes, that are going to make all the difference. All right. Sorry, do you want to say something? No, it's fine. I'm just agreeing with you about it and maybe the experience you're sharing. Silence. Currently in Kenya, we have El Nino, the floods, and it's so emotional to think through about what that means to the people who are affected. And that's why it's for. It's about bringing out those voices to say, look, I think it's time to make sure we join our hands for a better planet. Yeah, absolutely. All right, so the final question, how can your community get involved in It's For You? And I've got the sign up here, sign up to It's For You on Bitly, which I'll put in the show notes as well. But what do you encourage everybody in your community to do to be part of? So thank you. So the fun part about the It's For You campaign is actually to highlight the stories that young people, the children, families around the communities are doing to make the world better. And the aspect about it is that it is supposed to propel businesses and governments to redirect a little spending on the little projects that actually these young people are doing. And that's why the form and the link to join the HBA campaign is basically to fill in the form, pick around an activity or the project you are doing and then share the story. You can also actually join it through we are running live sessions. You can actually get into our studio, hear the conversation and get into stage, just contribute to the debate. So, for instance, yesterday we had amazing program and you had young people and guys just connecting, contributing the debate, sharing their stories, and it's so inspiring and to hear what people are doing out there. So, yes, I welcome our viewers to sign in, follow us on YouTube, on LinkedIn, on Instagram, on Facebook, and as I say, it's for you. It's for me. It's for you. Awesome. Very inspiring. And if people are only listening to you and not seeing you, you've got an amazing smile that lights up a room. Thank you. Thank you so much. I watched some of the live stream last night and I agree with you 100%. It was really inspiring just hearing the voices from all over the world. I think you guys have done an amazing job bringing a really incredible community of people together. So congratulations and I hope these twelve days of cop are fantastic for all of you because you deserve it. A lot of hard work has gone in. So great job. Thank you. And you're welcome to Kenya. I'd love to come and visit. All right, see you guys soon. Thank you. Bye. Thank you. Okay. Uncommon courage should be everywhere. Should be everywhere. Uncommon Courage. Lay it there. Let's talk about let's talk about all the hot things. All the hot things.