Tleetse Phakoe, Lesotho

Ada Phakoe, born and breed in Lesotho, is a women empowerment and climate justice activist who is playing a pivotal role in community-led initiatives for sustainable development. Ada started her journey in Civic Leadership in 2020, by joining a rural women’s movement. A platform to address a wide range of women concerns focused on SDGs 1, 2, 3,5,6. In 2022, Ada founded an initiative led by women and youth for a just future. She has hands on experience in community based environmental projects and a commitment to addressing the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable communities(SDG 13).

The project is climate education with practical on climate smart agriculture and organic fertilizer production. I am teaching communities, especially vulnerable people in communities such as women, youth, and people living with disability, how to use the best sustainable practices for the environment when farming and so as to produce organic food. They practice agroecology, agroforestry, permaculture to mention but a few. Since women are the peasant farmers and produce food for family consumption, it is paramount that they produce organic food on a small scale since they do not own land they do their farming in their gardens. I train and mentor these marginalized groups within their communties so they lead the initiatives and it promotes a sense of ownership.