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Healing Minds, Empowering Women: Ghanas Climate Change Battle

Community members during the clean-up exercise co-organised by CMHIP and Shiabu residents. Picture Credit: CDKN
  • by Cecilia RussellĀ (baku)
  • Inter Press Service

In Ghana, the Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative that merges climate resilience with an often-overlooked aspect of the crisis: mental health.

For Valerie Nutakor, CDKNā€™s Programme Assistant in Ghana, the urgency of the work is clear. ā€œWhen people lose their homes, livelihoods, and dignity, the damage isnā€™t just physicalā€”itā€™s deeply psychological. If their minds are broken, how can they rebuild their lives?ā€

In Shabu, a coastal community devastated by rising sea levels, homes have been swept away, livelihoods destroyed, and hope eroded. The stress is palpable, with residents voicing despair. “We are tired,” they say. “How do we take action when our world keeps collapsing around us?”

The project provides psychological support to empower communities like Shabu, where rising tides have displaced families, destroyed businesses, and fractured dreams.

From Tears to Resilience

One poignant story from Shabu underscores the stakes. A local man who once owned a thriving recreational center now stands amid its ruins, drowning in debt. ā€œTwo years ago, I had a business, a family home, and a future,ā€ he said, breaking into tears. ā€œToday, I have nothing.ā€

For many, this emotional devastation has paralyzed action. Women, whose husbands are often fishermen, face a double burden. ā€œTheir husbands are at sea, their children are migrating for better lives, and they are left to fend for themselves amidst the wreckage,ā€ Nutakor explains.

Through one-on-one and group therapy sessions, the Climate Mental Health Initiative Project (CMHIP) initiative helps individuals reclaim their agency. ā€œA mind that feels inadequate cannot act,ā€ Nutakor emphasizes. ā€œBut when we provide psychological intervention, we see transformation. People begin to believe that they can make a difference.ā€

Empowering Women Through Song and Story

While addressing mental health, CDKN is also amplifying the voices of women in northern Ghanaā€™s Upper West region. Here, smallholder farmers and women navigate extreme climate challenges with remarkable resilience.

ā€œWe realized that these women were already building resilience through indigenous practices but lacked the technical knowledge to enhance their efforts,ā€ Nutakor explains.

CDKN bridged this gap through an innovative storytelling initiative. Womenā€™s experiences with climate risks were transformed into community songs. These songs, rooted in folk traditions, weave together lived experiences and new knowledge, becoming powerful tools for awareness and advocacy.

ā€œWhen we helped them record and broadcast these songs on local radio, the women felt seen and heard for the first time,ā€ Nutakor shares. ā€œIn a patriarchal community, this was a groundbreaking moment.ā€

The songs resonated beyond their immediate communities, inspiring others to take action. ā€œItā€™s a ripple effect,ā€ Nutakor says. ā€œWhen one woman stands up, others see whatā€™s possible.ā€

Mental Health and Action: A New Beginning

Back in Shabu, the impact of the mental health initiative is tangible. After therapy sessions, residents took the first step towards rebuilding their communityā€”a beach cleanup. For Nutakor, this was a symbolic moment. ā€œAs they cleaned their beaches, it felt like they were also cleansing their minds, making space for hope and action.ā€

This newfound agency challenges the common narrative that the government must solve every problem. ā€œWe helped them see that they can take the lead,ā€ Hagan explains. ā€œOnce they felt empowered, their actions followed naturally.ā€

The project also engaged local leaders, teachers, and nurses, creating a network of support. ā€œWe donā€™t believe in top-down solutions,ā€ Nutakor asserts. ā€œWe believe in co-creating with the community so that the solutions are theirs, not imposed.ā€

Changing the Climate Conversation

CDKNā€™s approach isnā€™t just about interventionsā€”itā€™s about shifting narratives. ā€œToo often, we focus on peopleā€™s vulnerabilities,ā€ Nutakor says. ā€œBut these communities are not just victims; they are innovators and problem-solvers.ā€

By addressing mental health alongside physical and economic challenges, CDKN is redefining climate resilience. ā€œThis is more than an environmental crisisā€”itā€™s a human one,ā€ Nutakor emphasizes. ā€œAnd healing minds is as important as healing the planet.ā€

A Call to Action

As global leaders discuss climate solutions at COP29, Nutakor has a message: ā€œReal change starts with the people most affected. If we donā€™t empower their minds, no policy will succeed.ā€

In Shabu and the Upper West region, CDKNā€™s work offers a powerful example of whatā€™s possible when mental health and empowerment are at the forefront of climate action. For the communities they serve, itā€™s a lifelineā€”and a path forward.

ā€œDevelopment is not just about infrastructure,ā€ Nutakor concludes. ā€œItā€™s about people feeling valued, capable, and ready to take on the challenges they face. Thatā€™s how we create real, lasting change.

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Ā© Inter Press Service (2024) ā€” All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service





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