Advocacy

“If we don’t take care of the environment, how do we expect the environment to take care of us?” This is a question always posed by Philipa, President of Sierra Leone’s Children’s Forum Network, who also doubles as ChildFund’s Environmental Sustainability Ambassador.

While global momentum for environmental sustainability continues to build, children and young people, those most affected by environmental shocks, are still largely excluded from key decision-making spaces. In Sierra Leone and other vulnerable countries, problems like pollution, rising heat, and the loss of natural resources are making it harder for people to get enough food, stay healthy, and grow their economies. There isn’t enough support for young people’s ideas, and many people still don’t know enough or act enough on these issues. 

Phillipa believes children’s voices are critical in all of these. “I believe that environmental sustainability issues affect children, too and that our inputs are to be taken very seriously,” she states. “We should be included in the decision making process so that our views and concerns would be well captured.”

Taking the Global Stage – Philipa speaks at COP-28, COP-29 and the Africa Climate Summit 

This cry for children and young people to be included in the decision making process, did not fall on deaf ears. ChildFund has sponsored Philipa to international conferences in Kenya, Dubai and Azerbaijan respectively. 

At the inaugural Africa Climate Summit, she delivered a powerful statement to the continent’s leaders, including heads of states, on behalf of all of Africa’s children, urging the inclusion of children in environmental decision-making to protect their future.

“We do not want adults to feel sorry for us. We want to be included in finding solutions,” she declared. 

Drawing from her own experiences, Philipa continued: “I have seen my community ravaged by droughts and floods, crops destroyed, and families forced to flee their homes. Now, I am speaking out on behalf of all children who are suffering from this crisis. We are calling on world leaders to take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect the planet for future generations.”

She concluded with a passionate call to action: “Even though children contribute the least to these challenges, we are the ones most affected by its impacts. In Malawi and Mozambique, cyclones have damaged schools and hospitals. In Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan, droughts have caused girls to be sold into early marriage. In Nigeria and Sierra Leone, environmental shocks have resulted in displacement forcing families to move. We must act now!”

Philipa representing her peers at COP-29 in Azerbaijan

At the Children and Youth Pavilion during the Climate Summit in Dubai, Philipa stood among a distinguished gathering of young advocates, development leaders, and policymakers. Organized by ChildFund Alliance in collaboration with the Climate Vulnerable Forum and the Youth Resilience Lab, the side event convened an intergenerational dialogue under the theme, “Symphony of the Future: Children’s Vision of Climate Action.”

During the two-hour session, Philipa joined peers from around the world, senior representatives from ChildFund Alliance and ChildFund International Africa, led by Chege Ngugi, Regional Director for Africa, as well as delegates from Plan International and the Climate Vulnerable Forum. Together, they exchanged ideas and perspectives on the future of climate action, emphasizing the central role of children and young people in shaping sustainable solutions.

In a separate engagement, Philipa, together with a delegation of children from Sierra Leone, participated in a special side meeting with Hon. Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Chairman of Sierra Leone’s Presidential Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Food Security. Addressing the gathering, Philipa called for increased investment in youth-led initiatives, highlighting the critical need to empower young people as active stakeholders in the global sustainability agenda.

Philipa together with her peers and ChildFund staff from in Dubai for COP 28.

Turning Global Advocacy into Local Impact

Following her participation at the summit, Philipa and ChildFund translated international advocacy into local action. Collaborating closely with partners and stakeholders, Philipa contributed to a series of initiatives aimed at sustaining momentum and broadening public engagement on environmental issues:

• Mass media engagement: Through appearances on Africa Young Voices (AYV) and Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), Philipa amplified the voices of children and called on government authorities to implement key recommendations related to adaptation and mitigation. She also spoke at a press conference to sensitize journalists on environmental issues, urging the media to take a proactive role in setting the national agenda for environmental policy reforms.
  
• School outreach programs: Philipa led outreach programs in schools across Sierra Leone, educating students on the importance of environmental care and promoting initiatives to maintain clean and safe school environments.
  

Through her actions, Philipa has shown how young people, when supported, can lead the way in protecting the environment because every child has the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable and abundant environment.