By Anietie Akpan
Following a grass-root women’s leadership training programme on environment, women of Mfamosing and Abiati forest communities in Akamkpa Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State have resolved to be defenders of the environment for sustainability.
Accordingly, the women, rising from a one day training programme on Monday, November 3, with the theme, “Grassroots Women’s Eco-Leadership Training”, organized by a civil society organization, Uyo Iban Amplifier Initiative (UIAI) with support from Global GreenGrants Fund (GGF) have constituted themselves into a volunteer group, “Women Eco-Defenders”.
The training workshop captured about 70 Mfamosing and Abiati women under the project, “She Resists, the Earth Breathes”, enlightening the women on several issues like, defending the earth, advocacy , rights and action, understanding ecofeminism, women’s climate leadership and few others.
In her welcome address, the Coordinator of UIAI, Okoho Ene said, “this training continues our shared mission to strengthen the resilience, leadership, and voices of women in forest, coastal, and riverine communities across Cross River State. We all know that women are the heartbeat of their communities farming, fishing, nurturing families, and protecting nature yet they are often the most affected by environmental harm”.
Through this project, Ene stated, “we are changing that story. We are recognizing women not as victims, but as eco-defenders and leaders driving climate justice. The theme “She Resists The Earth Breathes” reminds us that every act of women’s resistance saving a tree, restoring a river, protecting seeds is an act of healing for the Earth.
“During this training, we will share knowledge on climate justice, advocacy, and ecofeminist leadership, strengthen our storytelling skills, and build Climate Justice Circles for ongoing learning and collective action.
“Together, we are ensuring that women lead the charge for an inclusive and sustainable future because when women resist, the Earth truly breathes”.
In a keynote address, the Director Environmental Quality Control in the Cross River State Ministry of Environment, Elder Akpa Agbor, said, the fight or campaign for the environment “is for sustainability so that generations upon generations will benefit”.
He said, negative activities of environment destroy the environment hence “people should protect the environment. Women should stand up and talk for the environment because when you are not aware you are deformed.
“People dump things anyhow and it blocks the gutter and the roads. Some even use chemicals to fish as it destroys the water body. Women should be eco-defenders and they should resist negative practices that destroy the environment for generations unborn otherwise we will destroy the environment”.
Agbor advised the women to, “report any negative behavior to the traditional rulers council as there are laws protecting the environment. The laws are there but enforcement is the problem. The government should have a task force in place to ensure the enforcement of these laws”.
As a government official, Agbor advised companies operating in Mfamosing “to play by the rules because there are environmental laws that protect the people and the environment . Let them operate within the ambit of the law.
The panelists at Mfamosing.
“You know that for every company to be established, the environmental impact assessment, the studies must always be carried out. So that’s how it is”.
He said normally, “under four or five years, if they are rising environmental issues here, they will definitely carry out environmental audits to compare notes between the baseline data and what they are getting now. If they are impacting, they will know. If they are not impacting, they will know”.
One of the facilitators, Helen Kanu from the Girls Power Initiative (GPI), who spoke on the topic, “Defending the Earth, Advocacy, Rights and Action. Focus: Strengthening and Leadership and Practical Skills for Environmental Defense”, said women should take the lead in the campaign against the cutting down of trees as women rule the world.
She emphasized that what the women need is, “the skill and knowledge to be eco-defenders. We need knowledge and capacity training, grassroots mobilization and advocacy”.
Kanu charged the women to “mobilize themselves and come together as anything done in the community affects women directly or indirectly.
“Women need to advocate, come together as a group and speak out with one voice and should know their rights”.
Women, she said should help reduce problems in the community, engage in recycling some items and “must defend our environment by speaking for the environment”.
Another facilitator, Ekemini Simon who spoke on the topic, “Ecofeminism in Action Reclaiming the Environment for Justice”, raised an alarm on the deteriorating rate of the forest saying, “Your forest is disappearing through activities of companies and individuals and by cutting down trees women suffer the most.
“If you destroy the environment women suffer. Women are the guardians of land and communities. When water is destroyed women suffer. When the farms are destroyed women suffer. The trees must be protected, hence women have a big role to play to protect it”.
He highlighted challenges women face as a result of forest degradation to include the loss of access to forest resources, good fruits and many others as a result of climate change.
The consequences of human activities is also a challenge, the rain is not regular and on time as usual and farmers who are mostly women find it difficult to cope, Simon said.
Besides, he said there is a huge gap in decision making in communities and women are not usually there when decisions are taken on many issues and this is a challenge.
A cross section of participants at the grass-root women eco-leadership training programme in Mfamosing on Monday.
Simon therefore charged women to advocate and reclaim their rights and to do this, “women must voice out and come together to advocate for their rights and tackle forest challenges”.
He called on the women to “form advocacy group and speak with one voice. Be part of decision making and share your stories.
“Women should plant economic trees for fruits, use organic farming methods. Avoid use of chemicals and use traditional wisdom to protect the forest and preserve biodiversity”.
He emphasized the need to educate the girls and women so that they can take leadership roles and “women should mobilize and plant trees. Women must become eco defenders, come together and speak with one voice and should partner with leadership, government and others as women are the heartbeat of the earth”.
During the panel discussion which highlighted challenges and impact of environmental issues on women and the gaps participating in decision making, one of the participants from Mfamosing community, Immaculata Effiom said, there are no trees again to protect the environment as just “last year a huge storm destroyed houses because of deforestation”.
She said that in their community, “women do not have voices. The men see women as the ones that belong to the kitchen and for women to have voices we must come together with men, noting that when women are involved in decisions making, women will benefit and can defend their environment.
“We should be taken along. Here there is no real compensation for women. We can’t drink from our streams because of the activities of the company operating here, we can not easily get our local periwinkles and other forests resources again because our environment is polluted. For me, this meeting is an eye opener”.
Similarly, the participant from Abiati community, Glory Ewa said, “we are having serious air pollution, our economic trees, ikpong panya (native coco yam) are gone. The government should do something by calling the company mining here to order and ensure that they operate by the rules”.
High point of the training programme witnessed the inauguration of the “Women Eco-Defenders” by the Coordinator of UIAI, with the resolve to speak with one voice particularly on issues that affect women and the environment.
She charged the Mfamosing and Abiati women that constituted the Women Eco-Defenders group to relate with humility and respect with the men and get their support for a better environment.
