A blog by Dr. Nina Smart

Grassroots Feminist Movement Responding to Climate Change – Event at CSW66, 16 March.

“Hosted by Taiwan Coalition Against Violence, TCAV, and cosponsored by Soroptimist International, this CSW66 event focused on the feminisation of climate change by sharing women’s best practices from Nepal and Taiwan. The event was moderated by Dr. Hsiao-Lin Hwa, the Chairperson of TCAV. It addressed how increasingly intense climate change and disasters disproportionately damage the safety and rights of women and children, worsening gender inequality at alarming, unprecedented rates. It aimed to highlight that only by involving the entire society can we truly overturn social norms, attitudes, and public discourse to invoke lasting action on systemic and individual levels.

Ms. Sharon Fisher, Soroptimist International Immediate Past President, presented on the grassroot project that SI sponsored in Nepal. There were 20 projects supporting women after the earthquake in an effective, meaningful and transparent way. Rural Chyangasar is twelve hours drive to Kathmandu. An Austrian Soroptimist arrived there and gave loans for chicken, which grew into the diversification of agriculture and organic farming. Women’s groups were formed, each with two committees – construction and vegetable cultivation. They also had water supply for farming, and learned how to compost and build green houses. Women were making the decisions,  showing a slow move towards equality.  Classes were established to teach literacy, gender rights and scholarship programmes were established for girls which helped reduce child marriage. Attending the event helped me understand so much more about this particular programme and the impact felt by the whole community once the women got organised and started growing their own produce.

Ms. Shuwen Liao, Secretary General of Taiwan Coalition Against Violence (TCAV), presented on her organisation’s work in communities of elderly people and the importance of using kindness and love when building bridges. She highlighted that TCAV uses a Trauma informed approach and it has become effective in influencing media reporting principles. The increased monitoring service of elderly people and youth-led programmes have positively impacted change and reduced inequalities. Most importantly, their programmes broke the silence surrounding elderly and reduced disregard, blaming, and lack of empathy. TCAV demonstrates how the women involved in the community programmes used Love as the most powerful tool, showing that violence against earth is violence against women and children.

The final presenter, Mr. Shui Tien Chang who is Chief Executive Officer of Low Carbon Healthy Living Foundation introduced the low-carbon building named ‘Earth Box.’ That refers to a container that was changed into an Earth Box built from environmentally friendly materials such as leaves and branches. It has wide windows so that light can flood inside; painted yellow or pink to be soft on the eyes, with a water cooling fan that uses a ventilated convection cooling system. This invention addresses the water shortages in Taiwan, which ranks 8th in the world, promoting good health. Each project illustrates the resilience of women and the positive effects on communities by stressing the importance of achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental health, and disaster risk reduction by engaging grassroots feminist movements”.