In the face of escalating climate-related hardships, women have emerged as unsung heroes, driving resilience and confronting vulnerabilities head-on. However, their voices are often sidelined in policy discussions, depriving them of the opportunity to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
Recognizing this critical gap, the National Adaptation Plan Global Network (NAP GN), in addition to working to support countries in their NAP processes, work to ensure that NAP processes are gender responsive and inclusive. They acknowledge that grassroots communities hold valuable insights, and governments are open to hearing from them. Yet, facilitating meaningful dialogues between these two important groups has often remained a challenge.
Upon discovering Lensational’s method of empowering women through photography and storytelling, a significant potential was recognised in utilizing these visual narratives as a means to convey their perspectives and stimulate discussions about climate change adaptation. Consequently, a partnership to pilot an innovative approach was established in May 2021 with financial support from Global Affairs Canada. In this initiative, participants were trained to capture and document their lived experiences with climate change and their aspirations for resilience.
This report illuminates the profound impact of this collaborative effort on policymakers, and it emphasizes how much promise this inventive approach holds meaningfully engaging with policy makers.
