It was recently my honour and delight to travel to Chad and Cameroon to see the work that Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) is doing in co-operation with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The program there is known as “Nature-Based Solutions” dealing with the huge challenges of climate change.
The region, usually quite arid, has experienced catastrophic flooding in 2022 and 2024 ascribed to the results of climate change. I visited a village that had been partially washed out by the flooding, but saved from total disaster by some early prevention work including sandbagging along the banks of the river. I also visited an internally displaced camp where an entire community had been washed out of their village (the houses are made of mud bricks) and the inhabitants did not have the resources to rebuild again.
So, what about the nature-based solutions. One solution we know well here in Canada is tree planting. Trees help hold down the soil and they block the wind, both of which help with soil erosion and desertification. I visited tree nurseries in both Chad and Cameroon. I also visited a high school that formed an eco-club. Their goal was to plant 100 trees. I had the honour of planting one of those trees. Watering those new trees twice a day from a well keeps those students busy!
I visited a farm where the farmer had attended farmer field school, a program that teaches practices of ecologically based farming including the making and use of compost. His crops were thriving, and his produce was selling very well at market, known for superior size and taste! The other cool thing about this program is that each student who attends Farmer Field School has to teach multiple farmers what they have learned. We were able to visit one of those farms as well, and it was amazing to see the difference between the crops grown with compost and those grown with chemical fertilizers. This farmer was convinced to turn his whole operation into a more ecologically based farm. This also protects the local river from having chemicals washed in during the times of flooding.
I visited a volunteer savings and loan association where 30 women were working together creating capital through weekly savings with the possibility of small loans. Three women of the group each had one key to the lockbox with three locks used to house the accumulated savings. The group was taught record keeping and each woman proudly hung on to her “bank book” (there were no actual banks in the region).
I also had the chance to visit with a conflict resolution group. Village leaders, men and women, were trained in conflict resolution skills. They have mediated disputes between cattle breeders and farmers over grazing land and water access. They have mediated a number of domestic disputes. The police even refer disputes to them. The most encouraging thing I heard was that the number of conflicts has gone down over the two years this group has been working.
Want to learn more about this work and climate change? CLWR is creating a friends of creation challenge where you can learn more about this vast, expansive project and join in the fight against climate change. You can find more information here:
https://www.clwr.org/foc-challenge .
Rev. Susan Johnson
National Bishop
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