Sierra Leone Children Prepare for Climate Change Impacts

Young people face a future shaped by climate change, inheriting both the challenges and the potential solutions. Addressing this requires active youth involvement in shaping how cities prepare for increasingly severe weather events like hotter days, intense storms, floods, and droughts.

Climate Science Hubs in Sierra Leone

Researchers and university professors, along with co-author Bashiru Koroma, president of Keep Africa Beautiful Sierra Leone, investigated whether a youth-centered, community-based Climate Science Hub could build the knowledge, skills, leadership, networks, and adaptive capacity needed for young people in Bo City, Sierra Leone, to cope with climate change.

Understanding Secondary Cities

A secondary city is defined as one smaller in population and with fewer economic resources than a country’s primary city. Bo City was chosen for this project due to the influx of rural farming families displaced by droughts, crop failures, war, and poverty, who have migrated to the capital, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Rising sea levels and heavy rains have led to deadly floods and landslides, including a devastating 2017 event that claimed 312 lives and left 600 missing. Freetown residents may need to relocate inland to Bo City in the future, presenting a significant challenge for the city’s leadership.

The Youth Climate Science Hub Model

The research highlighted that combining scientific knowledge with local expertise and networks leads to rapid solutions. The project involved setting up a Youth Climate Science Hub to support secondary school students aged 10 to 19. The project ran in two phases, beginning with basic climate science lessons in five nearby public schools. In the second phase, a curriculum was developed collaboratively with local leaders from Keep Africa Beautiful Sierra Leone. Approximately 100 students, with at least 50% being girls, were identified as future climate leaders and regularly met at the hub.

Curriculum Focus Areas

The curriculum focused on key areas essential for climate adaptation leadership, including food security and sustainable agricultural practices, sustainability and the circular economy, sustainable waste management and recycling, energy efficiency and green job creation, landscape architecture and natural resource management, climate change education, gender issues, and microfinance. The students also learned about social-ecological resilience, emphasizing the interconnectedness of people, communities, and ecosystems.

Research Findings and Outcomes

The research found that effective solutions in secondary cities require a blend of local practices and scientific knowledge, developed collaboratively with the community, teachers, decision-makers, families, and young people. The hub proved vital in providing a space for young people to gain knowledge and information, particularly given limited internet access in Bo City. Students planted approximately 1,500 trees, established climate clubs in schools, organized awareness events, and celebrated World Environment Day. The hub continues to be used for club meetings and student-led presentations, demonstrating sustained engagement.

Recommendations for the Future

Secondary cities in climate-vulnerable regions should be prioritized for youth climate engagement in national adaptation and education strategies. Low-cost, school-based climate hubs, coordinated with schools and municipalities, can effectively link youth climate activities with city-level resilience planning. National governments, education ministries, local councils, and international funders should provide support for these hubs.