Teaser:
Yaquemilsa Fredelinda Matiashi Vicente (25) from Peru is an environmental engineering student, an indigenous environmental activist, a member of Fridays for Future Peru, and president of the Association of Young Indigenous and Amazonian Settlers of the Megantoni. Here, she writes about the project BB4CA, which she was part of. The project brought together young climate experts from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. It was financially supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and it is legally carried by the German Youth NGO Klimadelegation e.V.
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March 16th was a complicated day last year. I was sailing on the high seas for the first time and I was so happy about it. Suddenly the news rained like flaming arrows to our crew: covid-19 became a threat and broke my heart. The project Sailing for Climate Action was over.
I had hoped to bring and make my voice heard at the UN as the young indigenous leader that I am, but everything changed. Suddenly we were all going home with the hope of perhaps returning someday. It was when a persistent group started a new project, Building Bridges for climate action (BB4CA), that would enlighten us as climate activists. My heart was glad then, because we would go on and meet other important actors in each country thanks to the tireless people who kept fighting to include people who can be spokespersons for their localities and countries.
Building Bridges for Climate Action (BB4CA) was a great opportunity for me, because I learned to lose my fear of expressing myself. I learned to listen to each actor and each participant’s point of view.
In my country the fight against climate change is not talked about much, but you can see corruption and politicians attacking each other. Politicians filling up their pockets while people are dying. My people are dying of hunger, they are dying of mercury in their blood, they are dying of covid-19, they are dying day by day because of the ignorance that abounds.
When I attended the virtual meetings of BB4CA I saw the opportunity for my voice to be heard and bear fruit. Having contacts would open doors for me to continue sharing my point of view and the socio-environmental problems that my community suffers and how we can find solutions to it.
I would like more organizations to launch events like this so that we can continue to expand and continue to build bridges for the fight against climate change.
My experience with this project has been enriching and I really hope that it will be organized again. It is a place where we don’t have to see any distinction of any kind since we are all fighting for one goal, although in different ways, but we are all aiming for the same goal.
This project has really opened up opportunities for me to build ties with other actors. Even though we did not see each other physically, our thoughts were connected like branches or roots of trees through virtual meetings.
Our struggle does not stop, we indigenous women are always in the front line fighting for our territories, as a young indigenous woman activist I invite other sisters to join us in this struggle because we are the new generation fighting for justice, for equality, for peace and for freedom. Nothing has ever been achieved before without a struggle, so let’s go ahead and build a force together.
Projects like BB4CA should never end and should get more support to keep pushing forward this meaningful struggle for all.
Teaser:
Yaquemilsa Fredelinda Matiashi Vicente (25) from Peru is an environmental engineering student, an indigenous environmental activist, a member of Fridays for Future Peru, and president of the Association of Young Indigenous and Amazonian Settlers of the Megantoni. Here, she writes about the project BB4CA, which she was part of. The project brought together young climate experts from Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. It was financially supported by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and it is legally carried by the German Youth NGO Klimadelegation e.V.
| |
March 16th was a complicated day last year. I was sailing on the high seas for the first time and I was so happy about it. Suddenly the news rained like flaming arrows to our crew: covid-19 became a threat and broke my heart. The project Sailing for Climate Action was over.
I had hoped to bring and make my voice heard at the UN as the young indigenous leader that I am, but everything changed. Suddenly we were all going home with the hope of perhaps returning someday. It was when a persistent group started a new project, Building Bridges for climate action (BB4CA), that would enlighten us as climate activists. My heart was glad then, because we would go on and meet other important actors in each country thanks to the tireless people who kept fighting to include people who can be spokespersons for their localities and countries.
Building Bridges for Climate Action (BB4CA) was a great opportunity for me, because I learned to lose my fear of expressing myself. I learned to listen to each actor and each participant’s point of view.
In my country the fight against climate change is not talked about much, but you can see corruption and politicians attacking each other. Politicians filling up their pockets while people are dying. My people are dying of hunger, they are dying of mercury in their blood, they are dying of covid-19, they are dying day by day because of the ignorance that abounds.
When I attended the virtual meetings of BB4CA I saw the opportunity for my voice to be heard and bear fruit. Having contacts would open doors for me to continue sharing my point of view and the socio-environmental problems that my community suffers and how we can find solutions to it.
I would like more organizations to launch events like this so that we can continue to expand and continue to build bridges for the fight against climate change.
My experience with this project has been enriching and I really hope that it will be organized again. It is a place where we don’t have to see any distinction of any kind since we are all fighting for one goal, although in different ways, but we are all aiming for the same goal.
This project has really opened up opportunities for me to build ties with other actors. Even though we did not see each other physically, our thoughts were connected like branches or roots of trees through virtual meetings.
Our struggle does not stop, we indigenous women are always in the front line fighting for our territories, as a young indigenous woman activist I invite other sisters to join us in this struggle because we are the new generation fighting for justice, for equality, for peace and for freedom. Nothing has ever been achieved before without a struggle, so let’s go ahead and build a force together.
Projects like BB4CA should never end and should get more support to keep pushing forward this meaningful struggle for all.