Podcast Hali Hewa brings environment issues to new audiences

DW (English)

The Hali Hewa video podcast looks at climate initiatives across Africa. We meet its founder and hear about community regeneration efforts in Kenya's Ondiri Wetlands.

Transcript

00:00in this nairobi studio change is in the air abigail kima is hosting the podcast hali hewa

00:08which means climate in swahili since 2022 abigail has hosted voices from 20 african countries

00:15connecting scientists farmers and environmental activists through one message africa must tell

00:21its own story she got the idea after visiting a global climate conference in scotland it felt

00:26like a very disconnected space from the realities of of african communities kenya for example that

00:33are grappling with impacts of climate change and so i really wanted to bridge that information gap

00:39between a very elitist space and communities who deal with impacts of climate change on a daily basis

00:48for today's guest climate advocate kaluki paul motuko the stories on abigail's show resonate

00:54deeply abigail is using the platform to break down hard jargons into simplified climate messaging

01:02that can reach many different people especially in the community and so to me i found myself watching

01:07this program to also relate to the communities and understand climate change from a local perspective

01:16kaluki is an environmentalist who leads campaigns to protect and restore important natural habitats

01:22one of his projects inuka was in the ondiri wetlands west of nairobi you know it is a very important

01:29wetland and it it's faced a lot of serious kills destruction forest fires people encroaching into it

01:38greenhouses that are really contributing to its dwindling so we funded them to really see how they can

01:46you know create awareness programs and trainings and allowing people to see the importance of that

01:51ecosystem i know inuka really did quite a bit in ondiri and i got to witness that

02:04the two set out on a field trip to see the impact of the community efforts

02:14locals have been sensitized about the importance of this freshwater ecosystem

02:19and now help to protect it the issue was not so much more about us having an activity for the

02:26wetland itself but an activity around the wetland because a lot of it has been or was encroached

02:32for farming people cutting it down to build or just also looting um grabbing soil the land

02:41being here at ondiri today uh one thing that has stood out for me is

02:46the fact that so many of us are unaware of where our water comes from really truly understanding what

02:53water sources mean because the most we know about water for a big population of us is the water in our

03:00taps but it's interesting to be at ondiri wetland today and to understand just how many people this

03:05particular wetland is serving in terms of water provision and not only water but just the

03:12survival of the ecosystem the once endangered area is slowly regenerating also helped by people like

03:19robert mayer he has been tackling the massive waste and sewage pollution and encroachment on the area

03:26after a decade of restoration efforts the community-led transformation is becoming visible

03:31robert says that abica's platform has inspired many to do more to protect kenya's fragile ecosystems

03:41ah halihewa comes in so handy to make these young people understand or to answer the question why are

03:47we doing what we are doing why are we planting the trees because some people they just hear of planting

03:52trees and they go they think it's just something you you just do but it's critical that they can help us

03:58us the podcaster wants to keep such issues in the public eye away from the wetlands she continues

04:06her mission to inspire whether in her studio well thank you so much for staying tuned on the

04:12halihewa podcast or here at a conference in nairobi abigalkima shows how storytelling can amplify

04:20ecological solutions and help a generation to see hope where others see crisis

04:28so today spending time with abigail has shown me that telling climate stories isn't just about the

04:34data it's about the people it's about their hopes and the power of one voice to spark a wider

04:40conversation and it's also a reminder that storytelling itself is a form of climate action

04:46what stands out most is how her platform empowers young people to see themselves as part of the

04:53solution just like paul kaluki has been doing it has made me think more deeply about my own role about

05:00how we tell our stories and who gets to tell them because in the end the climate story is our collective

05:06story and every voice truly matters

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