climate change Archives - MAIA https://www.maiaimpact.org/tag/climate-change/ MAIA is a nonprofit organization empowering Indigenous girls in Guatemala through education, leadership, and community development programs. Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:46:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1 https://www.maiaimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/512-150x150.jpg climate change Archives - MAIA https://www.maiaimpact.org/tag/climate-change/ 32 32 Girl’s education and empowerment is a climate solution! https://www.maiaimpact.org/bloging/girls-education-and-empowerment-is-a-climate-solution/ Wed, 20 Apr 2022 20:11:00 +0000 https://www.maiaimpact.org/?p=7456
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Girl’s education and empowerment is a climate solution!

Evidence from Girl Pioneers and the MAIA Impact School

With increased urgency, political and national leaders around the globe are coming together to discuss the threats posed by climate change and strategies to adopt before some of the changes become irreversible. Yet, they often fail to recognize that the climate crisis is gender-sensitive. Taking care of the environment requires more equitable leadership and innovative opportunities for ALL women and girls.

Extensive research suggests that when we provide girls with access to quality education, free of biases and discrimination, we lay the foundation for more vibrant and sustainable communities. In addition, it tackles the underlying inequalities that increase girls’ vulnerability to climate change and helps reiterate its root.

Learn about the intersectionality between girls’ education and climate change here!

Fuelled by the urgency of re-establishing harmony with the natural environment and certain that empowering women helps address climate change, MAIA and Girl Pioneers are not just standing by, but are taking action to ignite positive change.

Q’anil Family Gardens

 

 

Marisol, Girl Pioneer at the MAIA Impact School, hones her leadership skills to design and implement a family garden initiative to combat malnutrition and promote empowerment among the mothers in her community.

“The project taught me to face my fears and that as a young woman, I am capable of achieving anything.”

SUSTAINABILITY AND WELLNESS DAY

Once a month, Girl Pioneers, implement practicas sostenibles to reconnect with the environment, the natural elements, and the intersectionality between humans and the Earth by working in the MAIA organic garden.

These activities are also meant to guarantee Girl Pioneers’ wellness by fostering connection and exchange of experiences.

MAIA IMPACT SCHOOL

For this International Earth Day, let’s remind ourselves once again that girls are not the problem, they are the solution!

Empowered Women, an Infinite Impact!

]]> Climate Action Pioneers https://www.maiaimpact.org/bloging/climate-action-pioneers/ Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:08:00 +0000 https://www.maiaimpact.org/?p=7597
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Climate Action Pioneers

The MAIA and Girl Pioneers’ story

MAIA leverages the unique ability of girls to become changemakers in their communities. As a bold, responsive organization, MAIA abandons the notion of incremental change. We know that Guatemala (and the rest of the world) urgently needs creative solutions and perspectives to address our most pressing problems like climate change. MAIA is fostering environmental stewardship in Girl Pioneers through transformational education, hands-on learning, and inspiring local action.

Guatemala has the worst gender equity gap in the Western Hemisphere. It is one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters and is particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change. With 30% of the labor force dependent on agriculture (and 60% of the population in poverty), even moderate variations in climate can be extremely disruptive. In 2019, approximately 2% (250,000 people) of Guatemala’s population emigrated to escape poverty and drought.

Girls’ education, when coupled with reproductive education, is the most effective way of reducing climate change. Women Deliver’s 2017 report on family planning and climate change highlights reproductive education as a win-win solution when it comes to climate change. It saves women’s lives by decreasing births in high-risk groups and reducing carbon dioxide emissions per capita. Moreover, when families make calculated decisions on family size, there is less strain on natural resources, energy, and food systems.

Roselia, MAIA’s Director of Mentorship and Family Engagement, states, “It is important for Girl Pioneers to learn about family planning so that they can make decisions about their own bodies, empower themselves to decide when to have a family, and have the option to think about the future they can give their children in relation to education and nutrition.” Roselia stresses that climate change in rural communities can impact the upbringing of future generations and that it is important for future parents to learn about climate change to raise their children to become responsible, conscious citizens. We know that when Girl Pioneers form their own family on their own terms, they will flourish.

Girl Pioneers are learning how to become leaders by using their voices. They are bold and tenacious young women who are active advocates for a sustainable future for their communities. Many participate and engage in local politics by proposing changes to their community leaders and town councils. At the MAIA Impact School, Girl Pioneers learn about climate change across multiple disciplines. In mentorship classes, they learn about the consequences of our actions on the planet and that our behavior will impact future generations. 

Moving beyond the theoretical, Girl Pioneers are learning by doing: MAIA’s organic school garden leverages the “Girl Effect” (the idea that girls acquire and disseminate best practices with their families and communities). By learning about permaculture and organic agriculture, not only are Girl Pioneers gaining practical skills for sustainable agriculture, but they are also passing this knowledge to family and community members, thereby ensuring a larger-scale approach to sustainable agriculture. 

 MAIA is fostering a new generation of leaders of environmental stewardship. Partnered with their leadership skills, Girl Pioneers are attaining knowledge and understanding of climate change and action. They are learning how to become a generation of changemakers in climate action, creating an inclusive and sustainable future. 

Empowered Women, an Infinite Impact!

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