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John -
My name is Ziada Kassimu and I'm writing to you from Dar-es-salaam,
Tanzania. As I sit in front of my computer on this dry and hot day, my
mind and heart travel around the remote parts of my country – the places
where I actually spend most of my days.
I'm a medical assistant working with Green Conservers, a partner of
350.org in the REPower Afrika campaign, but my journey as a climate
activist started many years ago, when I was still in college. As part of
my studies, I visited local communities and villages to understand what
was putting people's health at the most risk. And the answer was
unequivocally clear: climate change and fossil fuels.
In every village I visited, we found several children suffering from
malnutrition, due to food insecurity related to droughts and unpredictable
weather patterns. And with no access to energy, youth and women were
suffering from pulmonary diseases (especially COPD – chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease) caused by the smoke from kerosene lamps and firewood
used for cooking.
Tanzania is a major producer of fossil gas — and yet more than 30 million
people, about half of the population, lack access to energy. In rural
areas, the situation is even worse: less than 2% can rely on electricity
for their daily needs. For more than 50 years, we've been exporting most
of the resources we extract, while our population is left in the dark and
subject to the pollution and human rights abuses these companies leave
behind – just like what is happening now with the East Africa Crude Oil
Pipeline (EACOP). As I left university, I couldn't ignore this reality –
working with women and youth in these rural areas has been my life since
then.
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With REPower Afrika, I have been holding periodic meetings with around 100
women and 150 youth in more than 30 villages in the region of Tanga.
That's one of the areas which will be most affected by the East African
Crude Oil Pipeline. We deliver information about the impacts of the
pipeline and how to use renewables to improve their lives. We explore the
best solutions for them, with them. We help them realize that change is
possible and we all can drive it!
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REPower Afrika is about education, capacity-building and providing
resources for communities. It's about leading hope by example. I'm really
proud of the work we've done so far – from installing solar panels in
community facilities, to empowering women and girls with knowledge to
fight for a just energy transition. The improvements that clean energy has
represented to people's health and lives in these villages is notable
already. And each day we see more women engaged and standing up for
themselves and their communities.
But Tanga is just one of the many regions impacted by EACOP in Tanzania.
In 2025, we want to reach more of them, and we need your help!
[ [link removed] ]If you can, please consider chipping in any amount today to support my
work in Tanga and the work of 350 climate activists all over the world.
[ [link removed] ]Contribute »
Working with 350.org has been a joy, as it's not about words: it's about
action. 350 takes action on moving communities away from fossil fuels,
impacting their livelihoods and giving them opportunities to grow and
speak for themselves. We want to multiply these actions in the upcoming
year, making REPower Afrika a model for community-driven energy
transition. Join us!
In solidarity and always onwards,
Ziada Kassimu
REPower Afrika with 350.org
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350.org is a global movement that fights for a just and equitable world by stopping the fossil fuel industry from continuing to destroy our climate.
