Project
Participatory approaches building inclusive and climate-resilient communities in Zambia
The harvest of winter production by the women of Chiyabi Ward ready for the market. Photo by CJC Media.
A flagship Scottish Government programme, Climate Just Communities is developing and delivering climate justice interventions in Rwanda, Zambia and Malawi. As implementing partner for Zambia, NIRAS will work to empower the marginalised to advocate for climate justice and create long-term sustainable change.
September 12, 2024
- SDG: #1, #2, #5, #6, #10, #13
- SECTORS: Development Consulting
- COUNTRIES: Zambia
- DONOR: Scottish Government
- CONTRACT VALUE: up to £8 million
- DURATION: August 2023-March 2025
In the midst of an escalating climate crisis, Zambia finds itself confronting the severe consequences of a persistent drought—one that has strained food security and crippled the nation's power generation. This drought, like many extreme weather events ravaging low-income countries, reflects the harsh reality of climate change disproportionately affecting countries that contribute least to the problem. As a result, the Zambian Government has declared the drought a national emergency, recognising the urgent need for action to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
The efforts of CJC to mitigate the effects of climate change we are facing in my chiefdom and the district are greatly appreciated. By addressing the pressing issues of climate change, you are helping us protect our livelihoods, secure our food sources, and build a more resilient future for our people.
Her Royal Highness, Chieftainess Sinazongwe
As part of its Climate Justice Fund initiative, the Scottish Government’s flagship Climate Just Communities (CJC) programme is leading the charge in developing climate justice interventions across Zambia, Rwanda, and Malawi. As the implementing partner in Zambia, NIRAS is working to empower marginalised groups—those often left behind by conventional development models—to advocate for climate justice and build long-term resilience against the harsh impacts of a changing climate. A pool of specialised technical service providers and consultants are offering innovative solutions and are working either directly with communities or providing support to Community Delivery Partners to implement the climate resilience-building interventions requested by communities.
Zambia, one of the hardest-hit countries in Southern Africa, exemplifies the struggle faced by many nations that contribute little to the causes of climate change but bear its heaviest burdens. CJC is designed to help such communities by placing power directly in the hands of those most affected. Using a participatory approach, the programme empowers local communities to identify their own climate-related priorities and to co-create solutions that address their unique needs.
CJC Objectives
- Empower communities to identify their own priorities to be addressed through climate justice support and build resilience to the local material and social impacts of climate change;
- Empower the most marginalised within communities (including but not limited to marginalisation for reasons related to gender, age, disability or indigenous status) to participate and take action in building resilience to the local material and social impacts of climate change;
- Empower communities to advocate for climate justice and local equity;
- Create long-term, sustainable change within communities in line with the pillars of climate justice.
The CJC programme operates in four of Zambia’s most climate-vulnerable districts: Luangwa, Sinazongwe, Sioma, and Shang’ombo. These regions face distinct but interconnected climate challenges, from worsening droughts to intensifying human-wildlife conflict over dwindling water sources. In each of these districts, NIRAS collaborates with national and local partners, including the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ), the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), and the Green Living Movement Zambia (GLM). These local organisations serve as key conduits for community engagement, helping to facilitate the inclusion of voices often excluded from decision-making, particularly women, people with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.
At the heart of CJC’s mission is the principle of climate justice, which seeks to address not only the physical impacts of climate change but also the social inequities that magnify its effects. The programme’s framework is guided by three key pillars of justice:
Procedural Justice: Ensuring that decision-making processes are transparent, inclusive, and equitable. This involves actively encouraging the participation of marginalised groups, including women and people with disabilities, to ensure that the communities most affected by climate change have a voice in determining their own future.
Distributive Justice: Providing equal access to resources and opportunities. This pillar focuses on supporting communities in improving their resilience by addressing their most pressing needs—whether it be water, food security, or economic empowerment—ensuring that those most affected receive the benefits they deserve.
Transformative Justice: Tackling the structural inequalities that perpetuate vulnerability. By empowering communities to reshape power dynamics and develop sustainable solutions, CJC seeks to create lasting, systemic change that transcends immediate climate challenges.
In practical terms, CJC’s interventions are tailored to the unique needs of each community. For example, in Luangwa, where drought exacerbates human-wildlife conflict, local delivery partner CCZ is working with residents to develop strategies to manage water resources more effectively. In Sinazongwe, where high temperatures are wreaking havoc on agriculture and livestock, the Green Living Movement is introducing climate-resilient farming techniques. Meanwhile, in Sioma and Shang’ombo—some of Zambia’s most remote districts—the EFZ is leading efforts to enhance food security and water access.
Across all these districts, the programme promotes climate-resilient agriculture, helping farmers adopt sustainable practices such as water-efficient irrigation and drought-resistant crops. In tandem, CJC supports economic development initiatives aimed at diversifying income sources through small enterprise development, reducing communities' dependence on climate-sensitive livelihoods.
The programme also prioritises disaster risk reduction, working with communities to monitor and respond to climate-related hazards like floods and droughts. By improving early warning systems and building local capacity to manage emergencies, CJC helps reduce the devastating impacts of natural disasters.
Photo courtesy of CJC Media.
Another critical area of focus is water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). The project is drilling and rehabilitating boreholes, sinking protected wells, and constructing hand-washing facilities and improved latrines to ensure access to clean and safe water, which is often in short supply due to prolonged droughts.
Natural resource management is a key theme as well, with CJC promoting reforestation, agroforestry, and woodlot establishment to combat deforestation and preserve vital ecosystems. These efforts not only mitigate the impacts of climate change but also support local livelihoods by providing sustainable sources of timber and food.
Recognising the importance of advocacy, the programme equips communities with the skills to use their voices to advocate for climate justice at both local and national levels. Working closely with partners like Tearfund and the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, the project strengthens the capacity of communities to influence policy and drive meaningful change.
Inclusivity remains a cornerstone of CJC’s work. In a country where marginalised groups—such as people with disabilities and the elderly—are often excluded from decision-making processes, CJC ensures that everyone has a seat at the table. Through gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) initiatives, the programme fosters greater community participation, challenging norms that have long kept certain voices silent. CBM UK and Disability Rights Watch are the disability inclusion specialist partners, supporting the team to take an inclusive approach to project design and delivery.
CJC interventions were designed using participatory approaches during an in-depth scoping phase in which communities identified pressing climate hazards and developed Climate Justice Plans, outlining their visions for a more climate-resilient future. Project implementation in each ward is overseen by a Community Management Committee, including representatives from marginalised groups and important community structures, such as Ward Development Committees and traditional leaders. The target districts are among the poorest in Zambia and are the hardest hit by the impacts of climate change.
The climate crisis is not just a passing environmental impact event happening in a few selected places. It is global and indiscriminate in its consequences.
John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, speaking in 2023 at the inaugural Scottish Global Dialogues event.
Ultimately, the CJC project is about more than simply responding to climate impacts—it is about empowering people to shape their own futures in a rapidly changing world. By providing the tools, resources, and opportunities to build resilience from the ground up, CJC is helping Zambia’s most vulnerable communities not just survive, but thrive in the face of climate adversity.
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