Christiana Rosha (she/her)

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact. 

I make climate and environmental education fun, interesting, and impact-driven. In my role, I have reached 2100 youth and children in underserved communities with EE in Malawi. I developed a toolkit on how to integrate science, technology, engineering and mathematics in environmental education (E-STEM) so children and youth can take climate action in Malawi, as well as establishing 12 environmental clubs in 12 schools across Malawi and E-STEM for climate action hubs in 7 schools in Lilongwe and Salima districts in Lilongwe. 

I am also the founder of a social enterprise, Joy Packaging, where I transform waste into sustainable packaging materials as alternatives to thin plastics in Malawi.

Under the Climate Education program, I have piloted 4 successful projects, namely E-STEM for climate action, Sports for climate Ation, Let's Go Outside, and My Tree My Pet. All these initiatives have built young people's confidence to address context-specific environmental challenges in their communities.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like? 

Growing up in Malawi, I did not learn about climate and environmental education until I was 19 years old, when I enrolled in Natural Resources Management at university. I also used a computer for the first time at the age of 18. Experiencing both the climate knowledge gap and the digital divide made me wonder how many other young people, especially girls from underserved communities, were being left behind simply because they lacked access to education, technology, or opportunities.

That question became the reason behind my work. I wanted to make sure that no young person had to wait as long as I did to learn about climate change or gain digital skills. I started looking for ways to combine climate education with STEM and technology so that girls and young people could develop practical solutions to the environmental challenges they face in their own communities.

Too often, people in power assume that children and youth, especially girls and young women, are too young to understand climate change or be part of the solution, and this is worse when you are a refugee, where people always expect you to be quiet. Yet these are the same children living through floods, droughts, displacement, food insecurity, and climate anxiety. Their experiences are real, but their voices are often ignored.

I believe that when we give girls and young people the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to lead, we replace fear with hope.

How can people learn more about or support your work? 

You can learn more about the work we do to build capacity of, strengthen, and learn from other young people about how they are advancing E-STEM for climate action. Please reach out if you're interested in partnering with us.

I also welcome opportunities to share our experiences, lessons, and tools with other educators.

Learn more about Green Girls Platform >

A Little More About Me

If you could be any animal or plant, what would you be and why?
I would be a boabab tree because it is resilient and has different functions it provides us with fruits, shade, and oxygen, and it stores carbon dioxide.

Where do you feel most at peace and why?
I feel most at peace when I am in a fresh water lake because when I am in the water, everything becomes quiet, and I feel a sense of healing and serenity.

What advice would you give to the next generation of leaders?
I would tell the next generation of leaders that young people know their challenges and all they need to do is listen because young people have brilliant ideas to address them.