Transcript:

In Burkina Faso, a grassroots group run by women in their early twenties trains other women to install solar panels.

In Peru, a youth collective helped build a paved road to make it easier to bring water to a remote village.

In Indonesia, young people partnered to provide solar electricity to food producers.

Amponsem: “Young leaders today are building the solutions that are required for the future that we want.”

But Joshua Amponsem of the Youth Climate Justice Fund says just a tiny fraction of philanthropic funding for climate initiatives flows to youth-led groups – especially in the Global South.

So his fund is working to change that.

Over the past few years, it’s awarded more than $4 million in grants to over 100 youth-led groups around the world.

Amponsem says young people may lack the education or work experience needed to get traditional grants. But many have suffered climate impacts firsthand …

Amponsem: “ … have lived through some of the worst floods in the world … have had to relocate, have become a refugee out of that.”

Young people often know what solutions are needed, and they have the motivation to act.

So Amponsem says they need better access to funding to build a resilient future.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media