Time for climate justice

Janet Ben gestures at a pile of muddy bricks. It’s all that’s left of her old house in Malawi, destroyed by Cyclone Idai. Together we must press on for climate justice.

Janet had reached rock bottom. Her family lost everything they owned on that calamitous day over two years ago, including their livestock and only source of income. Cyclone Idai spared their lives, but only just.

Homeless and only able to eat once a day, Janet was in a desperate fight for survival – for herself, her husband, and her precious children.

Cyclone Idai was one of the worst tropical cyclones to hit the southern hemisphere. Experts believe the destructive power of such storms is only going to get worse because of the climate crisis.

Our hearts break when we hear stories like Janet’s. We are stunned by the raw poverty that she faces. We are outraged by the flagrant injustice of her situation, as she confronts the worst impacts of this climate crisis.

It’s because we know, deep in our core, that this shouldn’t be happening. Not anywhere, not to anyone.

Like you, we believe everyone is equal in the sight of God. That truth has driven us for over 75 years to stand in solidarity with our global neighbours, of all faiths and none.

So, we will keep fighting for climate justice alongside our neighbours like Janet. We’ll keep supporting her in her new business, creating and selling baobab juice with women in her community, so she can feed and clothe her loved ones.

We’ll take our fight for justice to the UN climate talks in Glasgow this November, pushing our political leaders to tackle the climate crisis without leaving our global neighbours behind.

And we’ll respond quickly as layers of crises – conflict, Covid-19 and climate – increase global hunger, so that women, men and children will not lose their lives.

Climate justice has never been more important than it is today, and we are in this battle for the long haul. The truth is that we couldn’t achieve a fraction of this without you, our supporters. So, thank you for standing together with us.

Janet’s radiant smile says it all. Her small business has helped her find a way out of poverty: ‘My two older kids now go to school on a full stomach. The vision I have for my family is that we should no longer be poor. I want us to be a family that will inspire others.’

Together we can help more families press on towards climate justice. Thank you Janet, for your inspiration.

Turn to page 14 to read more about Janet’s remarkable story.

Janet Ben’s house was destroyed by Cyclone Idai in 2019. This rubble is all that remains.