Bridging Gender Disparity with Climate Resilience using Citizen-generated Data in Yumbe District

Highlight: According to Oxfam's 2021 report titled "Women’s Rights in Climate Resilience," climate shocks in Uganda exacerbate gender inequalities, including an increase in domestic violence. The report states that there is approximately a 25% rise in reported cases of domestic violence during periods of climate-induced resource scarcity. It emphasizes that when resources become scarce, tensions within households increase, disproportionately affecting women.

A key point from the report notes: “In Uganda’s drought-prone regions, women report an increase in domestic violence as families struggle to access food and water. Male frustration over economic hardships often manifests as violence against women.”

 

Context

Yumbe District in Northern Uganda has been facing the brunt of climate change in the form of natural disasters such as prolonged drought and flooding despite Uganda contributing only approximately 0.09% to the global carbon footprint. Yumbe District faces escalating climate risks, including erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and deforestation.

The Climate Action Project in Yumbe District, Uganda, spearheaded by NetHope and Ushahidi in collaboration with the YUGNET CBO, has been a groundbreaking initiative addressing Yumbe’s acute climate vulnerabilities. The project sought to enhance climate resilience through inclusive data collection, community engagement, and the development of actionable strategies to mitigate the impacts of climate change in 10 sub-counties of Yumbe district.

Climate change acts as a "multiplier" and intersectional vulnerability that aggravates existing gender inequalities. These shocks increase socio-economic vulnerabilities, disproportionately affecting women and girls due to entrenched gender roles, limited resource access, and exclusion from decision-making. The Bidibidi Refugee Settlement in Yumbe intensifies competition for scarce resources, further marginalizing women.

However, research also indicates that gender-responsive climate policies and programs that actively address these intersections can help reduce both climate vulnerability and gender-based violence simultaneously.

 

This case study examines how climate stressors amplify gender inequalities and explores opportunities for inclusive climate action, drawing from participatory data collected via the Ushahidi Platform, a low-tech tool that empowers residents to share insights via SMS and WhatsApp. To guarantee relevance and accessibility, Ushahidi commenced the initiative with a decisive information-gathering session in collaboration with community stakeholders. This approach effectively identified critical data points and established the most effective communication channels.

 

Introduction

Gender-based violence (GBV) is linked to resource scarcity, most specifically, food scarcity intensifies household tensions leading to increased GBV. Women and girls are primarily responsible for collecting firewood, which becomes more time-consuming and dangerous as deforestation progresses. This exposes them to higher risks, including long-distance searches for firewood, and violence.

Women, youth, and persons with disabilities have limited involvement in decision-making processes. Existing structures like the District Disaster and Response Management Committees lack inclusivity. Community priorities include bridging the knowledge gap on community participation in climate action, which likely ties into gender inclusion.

The research showed that women and children face a disproportionate burden in coping with climate-related stress. Health issues like hunger, physical strain, and heat-related challenges are highlighted, which might affect women more due to their roles in caregiving and resource gathering.

The citizen-generated report also discusses cooking methods, where households rely heavily on firewood and charcoal. Traditional cooking practices expose women to indoor air pollution leading to respiratory issues. Economic pressures from rising charcoal costs also affect them more since they're often responsible for household energy needs.

 

Key Findings: Gender-Disproportionate Impacts

 

Resource scarcity

Food and water scarcity heighten household tensions, with women reporting elevated risks of domestic violence. Deforestation forces women and girls to travel further for firewood, exposing them to sexual violence. A community member noted, “Women fear attacks while collecting firewood, but we have no alternatives.”

 

Health and Caregiving Burdens

Indoor air pollution from firewood/charcoal use (99.23% of households) causes respiratory illnesses, disproportionately affecting women who cook.

Prolonged drought periods aggravate malnutrition, with women prioritizing children’s meals. “We eat once a day to save food for the kids,” shared a female respondent.

 

Economic Marginalization

Crop failures caused by climate unpredictability reduces income from agriculture, a sector where 70% of laborers are women. Many resort to charcoal burning, perpetuating environmental degradation and health risks. Refugee women face compounded barriers of limited land access and reliance on humanitarian food aid.

 

Exclusion from Decision-Making

During climate adaptation, women often have less decision-making power over new technologies, climate finance, and adaptation strategies, reinforcing power imbalances that contribute to GBV. Only 18% of women participated in climate governance forums, per project surveys. Existing structures lack gender quotas or targeted outreach.

 

Child Marriage

In climate-affected regions, it was mentioned that families may resolve to child marriage as an economic coping strategy after climate disasters, viewing it as a way to reduce household costs or secure resources.

 

Opportunities for Equitable Climate Action

1. Community-Led Solutions:

Solar Energy Cooperatives: Refugee women in business piloted solar lamp distribution, reducing firewood dependence for lighting.

 

2. Participatory Technology:

Ushahidi’s SMS-based surveys engaged 45% of women respondents, revealing unmet needs (e.g., demand for clean stoves). Radio campaigns (e.g., Ribat Radio FM) disseminated climate alerts in local languages, reaching all people including women without smartphones.

 

3. Policy Advocacy:

Local CBOs e.g. YUGNET, trained women to lead disaster preparedness conversations, influencing district-level plans. The project’s validation sessions prioritized all including women’s feedback and perspective, shaping recommendations like gender-sensitive early warning systems.

 

To promote gender-equitability the project proposes:

1. Agricultural Resilience

• Ensure women farmers receive equal access to drought-resistant seeds and training programs
• Design training schedules that accommodate women's household responsibilities
• Target female-headed households for agro-processing opportunities
• Include women's traditional crop knowledge in farming technique development
• Secure women's land tenure rights to ensure long-term investment in climate adaptation

 

2. Water Resource Management

• Include women in water management committees with decision-making authority
• Design water points considering women's safety concerns and daily routines
• Implement time-saving water technologies that reduce women's labor burden
• Train women as water technicians and managers to maintain systems

 

3. Health System Strengthening

• Integrate sexual and reproductive health services in climate disaster response
• Include women community health workers in mobile clinic teams
• Create protection mechanisms against gender-based violence during climate emergencies
• Establish women-friendly spaces in health facilities and evacuation centers

 

4. Clean Energy and Green Livelihoods

• Target women as distributors and technicians in clean energy value chains
• Design clean cookstoves with input from women as primary users
• Provide financing mechanisms accessible to women for clean energy entrepreneurship

 

5. Institutional Reforms

• Strengthen legal frameworks to prosecute GBV linked to environmental stress.
• Mandate 50% female representation in climate governance bodies.

 

6. Targeted Resource Allocation

• Subsidize clean energy solutions (e.g, briquette stoves) for female-headed households.
• Fund women-led cooperatives for clean energy (e.g, briquettes, solar) to reduce resource-related risks.

 

7. Capacity Building

• Train women as climate champions to lead community adaptation projects such as rainwater harvesting methods
• Integrate GBV prevention into climate adaptation programs (e.g., early warning systems that include safety alerts for women).

 

Conclusion

Climate resilience in Yumbe hinges on addressing gender disparities. Women and girls bear the brunt of environmental degradation and resource scarcity but remain sidelined in decision-making. The NetHope- Ushahidi project demonstrates that participatory technology and community-led initiatives can amplify their voices. By centering women in climate governance, Yumbe can foster equitable adaptation, reduce GBV risks, and build sustainable livelihoods.