ISSUE 48/DEC2022 - Flipbook - Page 65
Africa’s Most Influential Women | EVERYDAY HEROES
Dr. Omnia
El Omrani
EGYPT
Youth Envoy: COP27
HEALTH: Climate Champion
Marie Christina
Kolo
MADAGASCAR
Photo: Hisham Allam/IPS
Omrani is well known as a community
mobiliser and development activist. When she
was named as the official Youth Envoy (the
first ever) for COP27 it was not a surprise. The
youth activist had already been serving as an
”SDG Champion” who was leading the “SDG13”
pillar on “Climate Action” promoting and
advancing youth interests at the global climate
negotiations.
“We, as young health professionals, are
witnessing first-hand the unprecedented
consequences of climate change ravaging
the health and wellbeing of billions of people,
she wrote in a blog on the Elders website
adding: “Climate change is also shifting our
ecosystem imperiling our global food systems
and water supply, leading to malnutrition,
and exacerbating hunger and poverty in
developing countries. Such ecological changes
also drive the emergence of zoonotic diseases
such as Ebola, Avian Influenza and now the
novel coronavirus, COVID-19. Environmental
degradation also increases forced migration and
civil conflict while impacting our economies...”
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Founder: Green’N’Cool
ACTIVISM: Eco-feminist
According to UN NEWS, Marie Christina Kolo,
describes herself as a climate activist, ecofeminist and social entrepreneur. She is the
founder of the social enterprise Green’N’Cool,
a leading ecological defender in the megabiodiverse nation of Madagascar. Kolo who
leads grassroots ecological initiatives and
community action in rural Madagascar is also
the pioneering brain in eco-soap production
through recycling among other circular
economy initiatives to boost community welfare
and incomes. She is a keen activist on building
climate-friendly communities, especially among
vulnerable women, in both urban and rural areas
of Madagascar. “We need to focus on climate
actions that are relevant in terms of increasing
access to water, for example, rehabilitating
wetland areas… We need to learn how to focus
on climate-smart agriculture. We need to learn
how to be self-sufficient in food production,
to depend less on tourism and trade,” she
says in an an interview with UN News adding:
“I’m optimistic because more and more
young people are trying to promote a greener
economy, and to prove that we don’t need to
exploit these natural resources too much.”
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