Fridays for Future (FFF) is an international movement where students skip their Friday classes to take part in demonstrations, actions, protests, and activities to demand clear measures to fight climate change from their political leaders.

On the island of Idjwi, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there is a local group of young people affiliated with FFF.

Ushindi Kashali is a part of FFF Idjwi and he tells us about how his community has come together to fight climate change and food insecurity in the area.

It is part of FFF Idjwi’s plan for the future to build a nursery. Recently, Ushindi shared a couple of photographs of the group’s work building a shed, sowing seedlings, and planting trees.

Apart from sowing crop seeds, the group will also reforest degraded land in the hopes the restored ecosystems can better endure extreme weather events.

The nursery shed is now in place, but there are challenges facing FFF Idjwi. Ushindi told us they are still missing important materials, such as covers, gloves, seeds, among others.

Climate change affects millions of people every day. Some choose to leave their countries, while others decide to stay and make the most out of the difficult conditions of their environment. This is the case with FFF Idjwi and Ushindi.

Since 2022, Ushind and his community have planted and dedicated more than 700 trees to fight food insecurity and climate change.

Community projects such as this one can strengthen food security and help empower its members while working to unite the people and connect them with Nature.