Climatelinks Photo Gallery

Chinu Tamata serves as the treasurer of a water users and sanitation committee in Bamkada, Mugu district, Nepal. As a member of the Dalit community, which frequently encounters social exclusion and discrimination, Chinu's leadership role is significant. She takes pride in her position and actively encourages the 37 families in her community to diligently participate in ongoing construction activities. Their collective effort aims to complete the water supply scheme on schedule, addressing longstanding water scarcity issues in their area.

Solar lolas (grandmothers) in Sitio Caguing, Philippines, train young women in their Aeta Indigenous community to assemble solar-powered lamps to light their homes. After graduating from a course on how to build and maintain solar-powered lighting systems at Barefoot College in India, the solar lolas became advocates for rural electrification by renewable energy. The USAID Energy Secure Philippines Activity supports their efforts to train the next generation of Indigenous women solar engineers to help their communities transition to climate-friendly energy sources.

These pack mules are transporting essential non-local water equipment, such as cement, pipes, and pipe fittings, to remote communities in Nepal's Mugu district. The USAID Karnali Water Activity is working to establish new drinking water systems in the district to provide safe water access to 1,300 individuals. Establishing reliable drinking water systems in remote areas enhances the climate resilience of these communities, as climate change can exacerbate water scarcity through altered precipitation patterns and more frequent droughts.

Contour agriculture used by Maya-Chortí Indigenous Peoples in Copán, Honduras, improves their food security because it helps reduce the risk of soil loss during heavy rain and helps conserve water during the dry season.

An elderly resident in Barahatal, Surkhet, Nepal, is overjoyed to have a water tap at his doorstep thanks to the USAID Karnali Water Activity. Previously, he and his wife had to fetch water in a bamboo basket from a well a half-hour walk from their home. This initiative has provided access to safe drinking water to 59 other families in their community. Having access to clean water at home can help communities use water more efficiently, which is crucial in the face of changing climate patterns that are increasing water scarcity.

Mr. and Mrs. Mutudza proudly display their thriving drought-tolerant sorghum marcia variety, a testament to adopting climate-smart agriculture, in Buhera, Zimbabwe. Through the Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods project being funded by the Swedish International Development Agency - SIDA, they learned conservation agriculture and mulching. Even with the El Niño drought, they expect a bountiful harvest, ensuring food security and a sustainable livelihood. Their success showcases the impact of community-led climate resilience initiatives in semi-arid regions.

This solar lola (grandmother) helps her Aeta Indigenous community in Sitio Caguing, Tarlac, Philippines, electrify their households with clean energy. After completing a six-month training course at Barefoot College in India, she and other solar lolas returned home to electrify their neighbors and help maintain the new solar lamps. “Because of our skills in building solar lamps, we are able to avoid using kerosene, which is expensive and harmful to the environment just to light up our homes. Our children are now able to study at night because of our solar lamps”, she explained. The USAID Energy Secure Philippines Activity supports the solar lolas’ efforts to train the next generation of Indigenous women solar engineers to help their communities continue to transition to climate-friendly energy sources.

This solar lola (grandmother) helps her Aeta Indigenous community in Sitio Caguing, Tarlac, Philippines, electrify their households with clean energy. After completing a six-month training course at Barefoot College in India, she and other solar lolas returned home to electrify their neighbors and help maintain the new solar lamps. “Because of our skills in building solar lamps, we are able to avoid using kerosene, which is expensive and harmful to the environment just to light up our homes. Our children are now able to study at night because of our solar lamps”, she explained. The USAID Energy Secure Philippines Activity supports the solar lolas’ efforts to train the next generation of Indigenous women solar engineers to help their communities continue to transition to climate-friendly energy sources.

The picture was taken at Mchenga beach, Lake Chilwa, Zomba district, Malawi. It depicts a hand a woman spreading out her fish catch across a fish drying rack as a method of fish selection and preservation. Mchenga community has set up self governance institutions, such as Beach Village Committees and fisheries associations, that were reorganized in 2019 through the USAID FISH project in efforts to control overfishing in the lake. Organizations like Bigpot Consulting and Civil Society Network on Climate Change(CISONECC) aimed to develop a comprehensive influencing strategy for the sustainable management of biodiversity in the Lake Chilwa Basin. This initiative was part of CISONECC’s broader efforts to enhance stakeholder collaboration and integrate effective management practices that conserve and sustainably utilize the region’s biodiversity resources.

These solar lolas (grandmothers) electrified 200 households with solar lamps in their Indigenous community in Sitio Caguing, Tarlac, Philippines. After completing a six-month training course at Barefoot College in India on assembling, repairing, and maintaining solar panels and lamps, they returned home to electrify their neighborhoods and help maintain the new solar lamps. The families who received the new lamps used the savings generated from avoiding kerosene and other unsustainable lighting sources to finance other essential expenses. The USAID Energy Secure Philippines Activity supports the solar lolas’ efforts to transition their community to cheaper, climate-friendly energy sources.

Seawater desalination infrastructure helps island communities in the Philippines adapt to the impacts of climate change, like water scarcity, and access safe drinking water. By tapping into desalinated seawater as a reliable water source, communities can enhance their resilience to the water-related impacts of climate change without needing to transport clean water to the island, a process that emits greenhouse gases and thus further contributes to climate change. The USAID Energy Secure Philippines Activity supports island communities to access desalinated seawater as part of its efforts to boost climate resilience and contribute to an energy-secure Philippines.

A fisherfolk sells dried fish produced in a solar-powered fish drying facility on Calutcot Island, Philippines. The USAID Energy Secure Philippines Activity developed a renewable energy-powered shared service facility to enhance the island community's post-agro-fishery sector. Using the facility's solar-powered dryers, fisherfolk dry their seaweed and fish products faster than usual, increasing their productivity, protecting their products from pests and pollution, and contributing to the island’s climate change mitigation efforts.

Once ravaged by overgrazing and years of neglect, this wetland in Romorehoto, Buhera, Zimbabwe, has been revitalised thanks to the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)-funded Climate Adaptation for Rural Livelihoods (CARL) project. Fencing and protection brought the wetland to life. The farmers who  had a perennial water supply for watering livestock took advantage of the water and started a fish farming project. The restored ecosystem now supports sustainable cattle grazing and fish farming, benefiting the local community. This project showcases how communities are promoting sustainable land management and natural resource management practices to confront climate change. Healthy wetlands like this one are crucial in supporting biodiversity and building resilience in a changing climate. The CARL project is being implemented by SAFIRE through OXFAM.

Two housewives are collecting water for household use from an almost dry reservoir in the Kalairag area of Bholaganj bordering Companiganj upazila in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Unplanned mining of sand and stones in the area has destroyed settlements, agricultural land, and water bodies; now Kalirag area is almost a wasteland. During the dry season, people in the area have to collect water from such reservoirs or pits to meet their daily expenses. 

This photograph depicts the use of a recycled umbrella to teach time tables to third graders.

USAID’s Modern Cooking for Healthy Forests activity supports rural communities in Malawi with forest management planning that helps them protect their forests and raise awareness of their importance. “Our goal is to preserve our forests as a buffer zone to the forest reserve because the biggest threats to our forest right now are charcoal makers and loggers,” says Group Village Headman and member of the Makwezu Village Natural Resource Management Committee, Mixon Kapalapata. Agroforestry systems can act as natural carbon sinks, converting atmospheric carbon dioxide and storing it in trees' roots, leaves, and surrounding soil. By leaving trees in agricultural landscapes, agroforestry practices help reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with conventional farming methods. Agroforestry also helps farmers adapt to extreme and variable weather conditions caused by climate change. Trees in these systems provide shade, regulate water flows, and improve soil quality, making farms more resilient to climate impacts. In addition, agroforestry supports various ecosystem services, including water regulation, carbon and nutrient cycling in soils, increased soil fertility, reduced soil erosion, and improved flood and pest control. These services enhance the overall resilience of agricultural systems to climate change.