JOY MUNTHALI

MALAWI, 26

Project: Green Girls Platform
Pronouns: She/Her

Joy Hayley Munthali is the Founder and current Executive Director of Green Girls Platform, a female-led initiative that works to achieve equality for girls and young women in the environment. With the Green Girls Platform, she teaches girls and young women in Malawi about climate change and how they can adapt to the effects. 

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What societal challenges have driven Green Girls Platform?

In Malawi, women and girls are highly affected by the effects of climate change due to their roles in society. Girls are expected to help their mothers in fetching firewood and clean water for their households. With the effects of climate change and environmental degradation, like erratic rains and depletion of natural resources, oftentimes they walk long distances to find clean water and firewood. Hence, most girls are forced into early marriages, and some drop out of school.

“Our work has proven that providing climate education for young women and girls is a climate solution.”
Evan Wei-Haas