Ethiopia: Youth Efforts Gain Climate Spotlight

Muhindo Esther, a passionate conservation activist, is from Uganda’s flood-prone and landslide-affected area. The community has lost many lives to these disasters, which inspired her to contribute to safeguarding the community from the impacts of climate change by organizing the youth to step up and take action.

Esther went on to found a community-based, youth-led organization with 30 members that reaches over 2,000 people across different communities to build resilience to climate change.

“We use nature-based solutions like restoration using tree planting and rural access to clean energy. We provide energy cook stoves and solar panels at affordable prices. We don’t impose them on the communities, we want them to adopt the solutions. This helps to do eco-investment, beekeeping, and fish farming. So all these interventions help our community to adapt and build resilience to climate change,” she said.

Esther told The Ethiopian Herald that her organization promotes public awareness on clean energy so that communities are more inclined to use the stoves and solar panels for energy and lighting. These are cost-effective, energy-saving, and time-saving solutions that also protect the environment and improve public health.

She said her organization has reached over 70,000 households and 50 institutions with eco-stoves, and over 200 households with solar panels, while supporting more than 300 people engaged in beekeeping and over 100 in fish farming.

Esther said she is always satisfied with what she does and deeply believes that supporting people at the grassroots level will pay off.

“If you are doing something, just do it as if there is no other moment you can ever do that thing. Do it with all passion so that it will be recognized.”

And she was right. Her work was recognized last week when IGAD’s Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) held the Youth for Climate Action Campaign and Awards 2025 as part of the 70th Greater Horn of Africa Climate Outlook Forum (GHACOF 70) in Addis Ababa.

She said the award is very exciting since it is international recognition given for an environmental effort made at the local level.

“It is very exciting; it is a win for my community and also myself even as a female. I am grateful that my work was recognized.”

Esther believes that the award encourages youth to continue contributing, especially since it is sometimes difficult to know when their work will be acknowledged.

In addition to Esther, about 15 young individuals were also recognized at the forum, including Ethiopian students like Dawit Ademe and Henok Kinde for their environmental protection efforts through various mechanisms. Dawit won the award for his short video produced to demonstrate climate change impacts and solutions.

“We have to strengthen environmental protection activities to restore forest coverage, ensure a clean environment, and improve our health,” he said. He stated that the award inspired him to continue promoting similar efforts after graduation, especially by highlighting climate-friendly activities in highly affected areas.

Awardee Henok Kinde also produced a video that earned him the award for promoting youth initiatives in protecting the environment. He personally participated in Addis Ababa’s beautification efforts by planting and protecting flowers and cleaning the city. He also plants trees with his family during the national greenery campaigns, part of the national green legacy initiative.

“I have been planting trees with my parents since childhood. So that helped me to be an active participant in various youth-led voluntary environmental activities now,” he said, adding that such an award encourages the youth to continue contributing to environmental protection.

IGAD Special Youth Envoy Ogwal Sam said that the organization recognizes the efforts of youth in the fight against climate change, considering that while many young people are involved in addressing the climate crisis, their contributions are often underappreciated.