As many of you know, conservation and protecting our planet are extremely important to me. I also think it’s important to showcase those doing the work to promote change is a responsible and thoughtful way. It can be hard finding organizations you can trust, who don’t just take your money and put it in the wrong hands.
That’s why I decided to create this series. To help showcase some of these organizations who are doing it right. Who I hope you will help support and promote in your own way.
Our first changemaker in this newly formed series is HER Planet Earth. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with founder Christine Amour-Levar and this is what she had to say.
Tell us about HER Planet Earth and what made you decide to set it up?
HER Planet Earth aims to empower and support women impacted by climate change, but also inspire them to become changemakers in achieving social and economic equity for a healthier planet.
I started this movement because I was becoming increasingly frustrated and alarmed, quite frankly, by what I was reading in the news, what I was seeing around me in nature, horrified by the destruction of our planet’s ecosystems, the pollution of our oceans, the burning of our forests and shocked by the increasing havoc that climate change was wrecking on impoverished populations. And the more research I did, the more I realized that despite the fact climate change is a global phenomenon, its effects are really felt locally, and poor people suffer the most.
In all the chaos surrounding the news about climate change, gender often remains the untold story behind it all. So, I decided to set up an NGO, specifically to support women affected by climate change.
Female empowerment and climate change are intrinsically linked.
Seventy percent of the world’s 1.3 billion poor people are women, and as a result, whenever a crisis hits, it’s women who bear the brunt of it. In many countries around the world, women are among the most vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation, they are hit the hardest, partly because women make up the larger share of the agricultural workforce, especially in Asia, and tend to have access to fewer income-earning jobs.
However, despite the fact women are the most vulnerable to climate change, they are also a huge part of the solution. And in truth, empowering, investing in, and educating women is a very good way to mitigate climate change, especially when we help women build livelihoods that are eco-friendly and compatible and in harmony with nature.
And this is exactly what HER Planet Earth focuses on.
What do you hope to achieve with HER Planet Earth?
Our mission is to raise awareness and funds for underprivileged women affected by climate change to make them more climate change resilient. HER Planet Earth aims to empower women to become policymakers and agents of change to achieve social and economic equity and a healthy and thriving planet.
Tell us what people can expect when they go on one of your expeditions and how those expeditions support your mission
The expeditions are a way to raise awareness and funds for programs that support and advance the position of women around the world.
We are a volunteer-based organization. None of us get paid to do the work we do. Teammates who come on our expeditions pay for their travel costs and are also asked to fundraise for our charity partners. Funds go directly to the charities we support who then redistribute the donations to the women and girls in their programs.
The expeditions are also organized to push limits and to be quite challenging. The objective is to invite participants to step far outside of their comfort zone, and the trips are often physically, mentally, and emotionally grueling. The women I take with me are required to train regularly and prepare diligently prior to our departure.
Talk a little bit about your partners and why you chose them to support
HER Planet Earth’s strategy is to organize and promote campaigns and activities to increase visibility of the movement, and to raise funds for programs that empower and educate underprivileged women and engage them in environmental issues and conservation activities.
We partner with nature lovers, environmentalists, polar explorers, adventurers, women’s rights advocates, feminists, and NGOs that have programs and structures in place dedicated to building a deeper connection between gender equality, genuinely sustainable development, and the protection of the environment.
These past few years, thanks to our expeditions and events, my team and I have raised valuable funds (three quarters of a million US dollars to date) and awareness for concrete projects in conservation and sustainable agriculture. Notably Elephant Sanctuaries in Africa – our funds go to employ more women to care for these hurt baby elephants. In the Philippines, we’ve worked with several NGOs that promote the collection and recycling of plastic from the beaches to make into reusable items for sale.
Other NGOs we have supported there, teach women how to grow organic fruit and vegetables as a solution for overfishing. We are also currently working with another foundation in Palawan called Sulubaaï, focused on coral restoration, involving local women and fisherfolk from the surrounding community.
Lastly, we have been allocating funds for initiatives that support women farmers in Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Cambodia (countries most impacted by climate change), helping women plant crops that are more suited to the soil in their region, making them more climate resilient while being kind to nature.
How can people get involved and where can they find you (socials/blog/webpage)?
You can get involved by:
- Joining one of our expeditions and make a real difference to the lives of underprivileged women affected by climate change. To find out more please email us at [email protected]
- By donating to our chosen charity partner: UN Women and help strengthen their programs supporting underprivileged women in the Asia region. Please donate via this page: here
- We would love to hear from volunteers wishing to contribute to our awareness & fundraising efforts. Get in touch and volunteer with our wide network of partners. Please email us at [email protected].
- Lastly, I would love to share our HER Planet Earth social media pages with you. Please follow us to stay updated:
- Instagram: instagram.com/herplanetearth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herplanetearth
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/13288522/
- And my personal social channels:
Don’t forget to check out my new “Changemakers” page for more information on the people being the change they wish to see in the world.
