Academics from Northumbria
University’s Centre for International Development joined forces with the
charity Traidcraft Exchange for the launch of its Regenerators Appeal.
Traidcraft Exchange was established in Newcastle in 1986 as
the charitable arm of the fairtrade organisation Traidcraft, which works with
communities in Africa and Asia to ensure producers get a fair price for their
products.
The Regenerators Appeal was backed by academics from
Northumbria’s Centre for International Development – many of whom are working
directly with these communities through their research projects.
It was designed to build greater awareness of how the
climate emergency is affecting already vulnerable communities, how those
communities are adapting in building livelihoods, and what the global community
can do to build more sustainable futures.
It has been a few months since Traidcraft Exchange wrapped
up the Regenerators Appeal and they’ve been hard at work totting up the final
total.
Thanks to the amazing supporters of the appeal, it has
reached a final total of £1,312,585, including £656,292 of match funding
from the UK government, to help people on the front line stand strong in the
face of climate change.
People like Issa, in Tanzania. In Issa’s village they don’t ask ‘is climate
change real?’
They ask: ‘how will I feed my family now that the floods
have destroyed my farm?’
As he explains, it wasn’t always like this.
“In my time when I was growing up, these changes had not
happened. Back then the seasons went through without any problem. People here
knew exactly what to do because the weather was stable.”
But the certainty of his childhood is long gone. Climate
change means that the coastal region’s once predictable weather is now erratic,
and harvests have suffered. An unpredictable cycle of floods and droughts mean
that farming in his community barely turns a profit.
“The last rainy season, there was a lot of water and the
river flooded. Some of the villagers lost their animals and their houses were
destroyed - we had to find a boat to rescue them.”
Climate change is happening right now, and it’s hitting the
most vulnerable the hardest. Thanks to the support of the Regenerators appeal,
people like Issa can begin the fightback.
Issa’s village can now receive training in climate-resilient
agriculture, forest protection and invest in tech such as solar panels.
With all this, delivered through the Traidcraft Exchange teams in Tanzania, the Regenerators can make
that first step towards turning the tide and make sure their community can
stand strong in the face of the changing climate.
Commenting on the Regenerators Appeal, Professor Matt
Baillie Smith, Co-Director of the Centre for International Development said:
“Undertaking research to understand and address how climate change affects
vulnerable communities in the global South is a key part of our work in the
Centre for International Development at Northumbria University. Our
partnerships with global development organisations like Traidcraft Exchange are
central to this work.
“We have been delighted to work with Traidcraft Exchange on
the Regenerators Appeal, and to contribute to their efforts to support
communities to cope with climate change. We wish them every success in this
critically important work”.
To help generate awareness of the appeal, Northumbria’s
Centre for International Development hosted, Gender and the Climate Emergency: A conversation with
Traidcraft Exchange, an online event in May.
The event, chaired by Matt Baillie Smith, discussed the
gendered impacts of the climate emergency in the global south, identifing and
exploring some of the critical debates in dialogue with representatives of
Traidcraft Exchange – Charlotte Timson and Janet Ruminju.
