In partnership with the Climate Change Network of Community – Based Initiatives (CCNCI) and Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (SIBAT), the Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns has conducted a Climate Change and Urban Gardening Workshop for members of Salinlahi Youth – Fortune chapter last November 21.

The activity, which was joined in by more than 20 children, was held with the objective of raising the awareness of children about climate change and its causes and effects particularly to poor communities in urban centers.

During the activity, Dr. Jean of CCNCI highlighted that climate change is real and that the climate crisis is getting worse. She opined that such is something that Filipino people including children must face and resolve now and in the years to come or face untold hardships in the future.

According to her, the country’s vulnerability to climate change is worsened by crushing poverty. Government policies have also proved ineffective in mitigating climate change and its devastating effects. The government continues to rely on coal as one of our main energy sources while large-scale destructive mining and logging companies continue to reduce forest cover and poison our waters with impunity.

She then noted that the onslaught of recent typhoons in Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley and Bicol region is a clear sign of the dire situation of our climate which has been worsened by excessive deforestation and the operations of environmentally-destructive projects such as mining, quarrying and reclamation.

Through a workshop, children were told to write on a leaf shaped paper about the role of children and youth in protecting and saving the environment.

After the input on climate change, the Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (SIBOL) gave a discussion about urban gardening. According to them, urban gardening provides many environmental, social and health benefits. It helps families provide local source of food and helps children understand about the origins of food and boosts their interest in agriculture. More importantly, it stimulates community participation.

SIBAT also facilitated a workshop wherein children learned how to make organic fertilizers including fermented fruit juice (FFJ) and fermented plant juice (FPJ). Aside from practical tips on how to set up an urban garden, seeds and fertilizers were distributed among participants.

After the discussion, the members and officers of Salinlahi Youth Fortune held a meeting to discuss their plan in setting up an urban garden in their community. ###