Climate Just Communities (CJC) has called for action among empowered community advocate champions in Luangwa District to find innovative ways of engaging top government leadership, bypassing bureaucratic hurdles.
Engineer Gabriel Mukuka, the Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) Project Coordinator, explains that while many senior government officials are willing to meet ordinary citizens, bureaucracy, protocol, and complex procedures often discourage direct interaction with grassroots communities facing real challenges.
This came to light in Luangwa District, Lusaka Province, when the CJC project team held meetings over several days under Cluster 1, Cluster 2, and Cluster 3 before ending with a Post Climate Justice Indaba to discuss outcomes and next steps.
Engineer Mukuka noted that it is common for important government documents to go missing, which requires advocates to diligently follow up to ensure their issues are addressed promptly.
He emphasized that community concerns must be communicated to higher authorities through lawful and customary channels.
He also urged those who have applied for Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to actively follow up to receive concrete responses.
Engineer Mukuka encouraged the public to become accustomed to engaging with leaders, acknowledging that while it may be difficult initially, it becomes easier with familiarity.
He explained that the CJC Project is funded by the Scottish Government and is operating in three countries: Zambia, Rwanda, and Malawi.
Engineer Mukuka said the CJC project aims to deliver climate justice interventions that empower marginalized communities to advocate for their rights and build long-term resilience against climate change impacts.
He said in Zambia, CJC focuses on four climate-vulnerable districts—Luangwa, Sinazongwe, Sioma, and Shang’ombo—addressing issues such as drought, human-wildlife conflict, food insecurity, and water scarcity.
Engineer Mukuka said the programme works through local partners like the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ) and the Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) to ensure inclusive participation, especially of women, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.
Meanwhile, from the Council of Churches in Zambia (CCZ), Acting Project Coordinator Grenda Nchima highlighted that community advocacy champions have been trained to be proactive, moving beyond merely asking questions to taking actions that improve their communities’ welfare.
She expressed that stakeholders are keen to observe the progress made by the trained participants following the training sessions.
The CCZ official further noted that many community challenges have solutions within the communities themselves.
Ms Nchima said the champions were taught innovative ways to address these issues internally.
She urged community advocacy champions to be self-reliant and proactive, not waiting for external help but taking initiative to improve their own communities.