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March 25, 2022, New York, New York – Women around the world are on the front lines of global climate change and, in many cases, are especially suffering because of it. Yet, in many ways, their voices still need to be heard.
That was one of the messages of a March 14, 2022, webinar, Climate Change and Environmental Injustice: Empowering Women, offered by the Dominican Sisters Conference as a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) parallel event of the United Nations’ 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). CSW66 was held March 14-25, 2022.
“The world is a web of relationships where everything is connected,” said Adrian Dominican Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, in her introduction. Sister Durstyne is the NGO Dominican Representative to the United Nations.
Sister Durstyne noted Pope Francis’ urgent appeal in his encyclical, Laudato Si’, for a new dialogue among people throughout Earth as humanity works to combat global climate change. “We need a conversation that includes everyone, since the environmental challenges affect us all,” she said.
The webinar was an opportunity for about 100 participants from throughout the world to listen to four women speak about the challenges their countries face and the efforts – especially of women – to heal Earth.
Ndivile Mokoena, a committed Catholic lay woman from South Africa, said Africa has experienced many effects of climate change, such as floods and droughts, that have “already caused enormous damage and displaced thousands of people.” She said Africa is also challenged by competition for land, deforestation, and activities such as coal mining, which threaten the biodiversity of many areas.
Ndivile is involved in the social justice movement for the Archdiocese of Johannesburg and works on social justice with women’s cooperatives. She spoke of the challenges faced by African women and of their involvement in sustainable practices and environmental issues. African women and girls “carry the brunt” of climate change yet are often “pushed aside” from conversations about the issue, she said.
Ndivile described climate change as an equity issue. “If you are poor, female, or otherwise marginalized, you are at great risk of losing your already limited assets, livelihood, and life from climate change impacts,” she said.
But Ndivile focused her presentation on the many ways that African women are working to build sustainability and combat climate change. Working from their traditional and indigenous knowledge, they are involved in food processing, preserving food through jams and sauces, and growing herbs and medicines to generate income for their families, Ndivile said. Because of the struggle to obtain land for this work, she added, women often approach local schools and churches and receive permission to use their land as a community farm.
Ndivile also spoke of the challenges of energy access and transition. “Electricity and [other forms of] energy are critical for driving development, but sub-Saharan Africa remains the most electricity-poor region,” she said. “Addressing this issue through the use of renewable resources provides the opportunity to support immediate development objectives to improve lives.”
Sister Corinne Sanders, OP, Director of the Office of Sustainability for the Adrian Dominican Sisters, spoke on the variety of ways the Congregation is addressing climate change.
One way to make the Motherhouse campus sustainable is through permaculture, a system of land use that follows the patterns of nature and works with natural systems, Sister Corinne said. “We understand our ministry is to care for the Earth, the same as caring for others,” she said. “We strive to live in balance, reciprocity, and simplicity with Earth.”
Through permaculture, the Adrian Dominican Sisters engage in a number of healing policies, including:
Sister Mary Tahu Paia, a lecturer on climate change and biodiversity at Solomon Islands National University, focused on the role of women and young girls in sustainability efforts.
Women and young girls “are heavily dependent on climate-sensitive livelihoods,” she noted. Climate change affects their daily lives. With less rain and dry rivers, they have to travel farther to collect water for their family’s use. Yet, Sister Mary added, “their voices are always missing, especially in decision-making. Their realities and perspectives are mostly ignored.”
Sister Mary focuses on training and empowering women to help build resilient communities and to deal with the challenges brought about by climate change. Women in the Solomon Islands and the Pacific Island Region are already involved in a number of initiatives. For example, she said, women are leading the efforts to restore the mangrove, a shrub or tree that grows in coastal waters. The mangrove attracts fish to the area, providing more food for the people, and can trap carbon dioxide and keep it out of the atmosphere 10 times faster than land trees, she explained.
Sister Mary advocated for the combined efforts of entire communities to combat climate change, and for equal access to climate finance for all people. “Climate change should provide us with a new lens to charter a new, efficient way of life in a more sustainable manner,” she said. “Women tend to have local knowledge. They should be equally participating in decisions, especially in areas that deal with the environment.”
Sister Olga Maria Botia, OP, of the Dominican Sisters of Charity of the Presentation, spoke from her experience as a social worker and as a Justice and Peace Promoter in the Dominican family of the many challenges facing Colombia. These include extreme weather conditions, a collapse of ecosystems, natural disasters such as mudslides, deforestation, and a lack of government presence in their country.
“The people don’t receive any protection from the state,” she said. “It makes them vulnerable to being invaded by corporations. They become vulnerable to violence, exploitation, and drug trafficking.”
Sister Olga said local communities need to work together against climate change. “It is necessary to join forces so that we can find solutions to these environmental and social problems,” she said, noting that women have always been effective in community efforts.
Finally, paraphrasing Pope Francis in Laudato Si’, Sister Olga advocated for three movements: dialogue to listen to the cries of the poor, especially women; education to empower women with practical knowledge, so that they can fight for their rights; and work, the creation of jobs “not only as remuneration but also as a sign of dignity.”
The webinar concluded with time for the presenters and audience members to discuss the challenges involved in sustainability, global climate change, women’s roles in efforts to heal Earth, and the need to work with young people. “There’s no doubt about it, we have to include everyone,” Sister Durstyne concluded. “This is our world, and we need to work together to help the world.”
March 18, 2022, Grosse Pointe, Michigan – Kimberly Williams, Director of the Dominican Literacy Center, and Sister Janice Brown, OP, Director of the Siena Literacy Center, were recognized by Soroptimist International of Grosse Pointe on the evening of March 9, 2022, with the Ruby Award. Both literacy centers are located in Detroit and are sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Soroptimist International of Grosse Pointe is a dynamic group of women who care about making the world a better place for women and girls. The group raises funds throughout the year to support women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment.
Kimberly and Sister Janice received the Ruby Award in recognition of their outstanding work and dedication to women's education and growth. With the award, both literacy centers received donations to help continue their excellent work.
Sister Janice has been involved in adult education since 2005. She was Director of the Dominican Literacy Center until 2017, when she began her work on a Doctorate in Ministry at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
“It was an honor to be highlighted as a leader in our community for women’s education,” Sister Janice said. “I was thrilled to … be with people who are passionate about it.” She praised the women of Soroptimist of Grosse Pointe for their dedication to providing a second chance to women who strive to overcome adversity and make a difference in the world.
Sister Janice said the work of literacy centers is to provide that second chance for people who are struggling with literacy issues – either native English speakers who didn’t gain sufficient skills in school or adult learners studying English as a Second Language (ESL). Offering a second chance at life “is part of cultivating that individual to be who God meant them to be,” she said. “We walk with [our adult learners]. We provide the education and support they need for the foundational level.”
Adult learners tend to have “a lot on their plates, raising a family and putting food on the table,” Sister Janice said. “You’ve got to have a time in your life when you can put education in top priority.”
She spoke of some of Siena Literacy Center’s many success stories. One adult learner, an ESL student, earned her GED and is now taking classes to earn her two-year nursing degree. “That’ll be a better paying position, as well as filling a great need we have in society” for healthcare professionals, Sister Janice said.
Kimberly was “happy and excited and honored” to receive the Ruby Award and, during the award evening, appreciated hearing the stories of the scholarship recipients, women who faced obstacles and moved forward in their lives. “It was very powerful to me to hear what people have gone through and how they’re pushing through,” she said. “It was very inspirational.”
She is also inspired by the adult learners at the Dominican Literacy Center. “My highlights are when I see people achieving their goals,” whether to earn a GED, read the Bible more effectively, or help their children, Kimberly said. She pointed to one student who spent years improving his reading and math skills so he can now work to earn his GED. Two staff members were originally adult learners at Dominican Literacy Center and are now able to give back, she added.
A native of Detroit, Kimberly graduated from college and moved to the East Coast, where she “worked for corporate America for a long time.” When she was laid off, she realized that her volunteer work had been more rewarding. After working for a high school, pairing tutors and students, she moved back to Detroit and was hired as program coordinator at Dominican Literacy Center. She earned a Master of Education degree in Reading from Marygrove College in Detroit. When Sister Janice left to work on her doctorate, Kimberly was hired as Director.
“This is my dream job,” Kimberly said. Still, she added, she has been challenged by the pandemic, which forced the Center to close at times and which brought on the need for Zoom for tutoring sessions and meetings. “Right now, we’re open and offer online and in-person instruction,” she said. “We’re working towards full capacity.”
The evening also honored women who courageously broke chains of oppression. Some struggled to get out of abusive relationships to make a better life for themselves and their families. Others had dreams to learn the skills that they would need to help others significantly. All received scholarships to continue their education and are doing the work needed to create a new trajectory of their lives.
Lavina Hutchinson received the Virginia Wagner Award for women enrolled in a university degree program who work hard academically and either volunteer in the community or face financial challenges. Nealmetria Loper, Delia Mustin, Denise Sargent, and Danyelle Easly received the Live Your Dream Award for women who are working toward a university degree and are the primary financial supports for their families.
Tonesia Nesbitt received the Continuing Education Award, which is given to Living Your Dream recipients working towards completing their university degrees. Sister Janice Brown, OP, contributed to this article.
Feature photo (top): Celebrating with Sister Janice Brown, OP – Ruby Award recipient – are, back row, from left, Associates Geri Pleva, Carol Hofer, and Toni Adams and Sister Janet Stankowski, OP, and front row, from left, Sisters Nancyann Turner, OP, and Janice Brown, OP, Associate Mary Margaret Bommarito, and Dominican Volunteer Erinn Toth.