Climate change is a global problem that is affecting individual regions and countries in different ways. 

In the small island developing States of the Pacific region, sea level rise threatens land use and drinking water supplies. In Europe and the Americas, wildfires have destroyed forests, and in parts of Africa, severe drought imperils essential crops and the people who depend on them. 

However, such challenges are not going unanswered, and across Africa, youth are taking the lead in finding innovative climate solutions. 

In Tanzania, Eunice Okama, founder and legal representative of the Young Moms Unite Initiative (YMUI), works at the intersection of climate resilience, gender equity and youth empowerment in rural villages of the Dodoma and Morogoro regions.

The climate crisis: Not just an environmental issue

During field visits in Mvomero, Eunice met young mothers facing severe climate hardship and social stigma. Research conducted by the organization she leads, YMUI, found in 2025 that a 21 per cent decline in maize yields had left 68 per cent of young mothers chronically food insecure, with 72 per cent unable to provide three daily meals for their infants. Over 91 per cent lacked agricultural training, and none held land rights or savings. They were losing up to $500 annually in potential income while watching their children suffer from malnutrition.

“Witnessing teenage girls struggling to feed their infants from parched, drought-stricken soil showed me that climate change is not just an environmental issue”, Eunice explained, “It’s a crisis of gender, justice, and human dignity.” Noting that traditional, top-down aid ignored the unique vulnerabilities of these families, Eunice was compelled to take action to build a youth-led, climate-smart solution that restored hope and food security.

A youth-led initiative with United Nations support

Under YMUI, Eunice now leads Mamas Grow, a 24-month, climate-smart agricultural project assisting young mothers in Tanzania. Mamas Grow was awarded funding by the United Nations Youth4Climate program, a global initiative launched in May 2022 and co-led by the United Nations Development Programme and the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. The annual Youth4Climate Call for Solutions provides direct financial support as well as mentorship and learning opportunities to selected young climate leaders and youth-led organizations working on climate action around the world.

Mamas Grow is now operating across 20 villages in central Tanzania, combining solar-powered agroecology, digital technology, microfinance, and reproductive health education in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund. It is establishing youth-led model gardens equipped with solar water pumps, drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting capacity to ensure year-round vegetable production, despite severe droughts. 

To bridge digital literacy gaps, the initiative deployed the Tech4Mamas mobile app, supported by 100 trained Peer Tech Leaders, delivering real-time weather alerts, adaptation tips and market prices to the young mothers served by the initiative. Mamas Grow pairs farm production with 20 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs), 20 community seed banks and mentorship for 40 micro-enterprises.

“This initiative is deeply important to me because it shifts adolescent mothers from passive victims of climate shocks to active leaders of food sovereignty”, Eunice explains. By securing ‘Land Use Agreements’ with village leaders, Mamas Grow grants young women legal land tenure. “Seeing a young mother harvest solar-irrigated produce on her own land and feed her child gives me immense purpose”, says Eunice. 

Building community trust

Of course, achieving such success meant overcoming obstacles. Eunice observed that in rural Tanzania, land rights almost exclusively favor men. “When we proposed securing plot allocations for unmarried teenage mothers, traditional elders initially resisted”, she said. 

In response, Mamas Grow conducted assemblies with Village Executive Officers and elders, presenting the initiative as a household food security asset that directly benefited children. They then secured 20 legally binding, witnessed, 5-year Land Use Agreements through memorandums of understanding that were signed by village authorities before installing infrastructure. 

Environmental shocks such as droughts and flash floods also threatened local agriculture. Mamas Grow countered this by installing 100,000-litre rainwater harvesting systems and planting drought-tolerant indigenous crops alongside drip irrigation. According to Eunice, navigating such issues “proved that climate innovation is 20 per cent technology and 80 per cent community trust, legal protection and inclusive governance”.

Eunice reports that Mamas Grow directly benefits 13,800 people comprising 2,300 young mothers 14 to 19 years of age and 11,500 household dependents across the project-site villages. By transitioning participants to solar-irrigated agroecology, Mamas Grow projects a 30 per cent income increase, a 40 per cent rise in dietary diversity and a 60 per cent reduction in food scarcity periods, as well as a 45-ton reduction in carbon emissions. Young mothers also build financial safety nets and gain economic independence through the VSLAs.

A model for climate adaptation in Africa and beyond

Eunice believes that nationally and globally, Mamas Grow can serve as a model for grassroots climate adaptation driven by gender equity, renewable energy and digital inclusion. “Millions of marginalized young women across Sub-Saharan Africa face similar climate displacement; our framework can be replicated across drylands globally to empower youth as frontline climate leaders”, Eunice explains. 

Eunice emphasizes to young Africans that the continent holds 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and the youngest population on Earth, yet suffers most from the global climate crisis. 

“Protecting our environment is our ultimate self-determination”, says Eunice. “Youth leadership means taking ownership of our land, blending indigenous wisdom with modern innovation, and building resilient systems that feed our people and safeguard our future.”