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Welcome to #Women4theClimate on CleanbuildVoices!
Our focus in today’s edition of Woman Crush Wednesday (WCW) is 24-year-old Patricia Kombo who is an environmental activist, social entrepreneur, and tree planter working at the frontline of climate action in Kenya.
Patricia’s passion for the environment was fueled in 2019 by the harsh effects of climate change on the women and children of Lodwar in Turkana. Because the region was arid, farming became almost nonexistent as the lands were barren.
Seeing their plight, Patricia rose up to the challenge and encouraged the planting of trees to make the barren land fit for agricultural practices. This led to the birth of the PaTree Initiative which is focused on reviving environmental clubs in schools and helping Kenya recover its forest through reforestation.
Through the PaTree initiative, Patricia has visited more than 15 schools and planted more than 10,000 trees in Kenya.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, Patricia worked with her community, especially the youth, to set up a 10,000 tree nursery where fruit trees and indigenous trees were planted.
This earned her recognition as a land hero by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
She mentors young people on the benefits of environmental conservation and harnessing the potentials in the land sector, especially regarding job creation and sustainability.
Patricia believes in education as a tool of change, that’s why she partners with schools to promote climate action and environmental education, and a safe and clean environment through tree planting activities.
She also works with communities to educate people about sustainable agriculture, sustainably using land by way of reusing plastics and recycling to reduce landfills, and has also set up kitchen gardens to ensure food security within local communities.
Patricia strongly believes that the agricultural sector is the biggest employer and holds great potentials especially as the world is transitioning to a green economy.
