Practical Action wins international award for climate resilience in Zimbabwe

Practical Action has won the Best NGO in Building Climate Resilience award at the Africa Green Night Awards 2023.

The award, hosted by the Zimbabwe Sunshine Group during the Africa Green waste and Energy expo and summit was supported by The Zimbabwe Ministry of Climate, Environment, and Tourism  and UNDP Zimbabwe.

Practical Action team at the award ceremony

The event recognises organisations that work to support climate initiatives, build climate resilience, promote renewable energy, and advocate for climate justice in Africa.

Practical Action was honoured for its work in three projects that help communities in Zimbabwe cope with the effects of climate change and improve their livelihoods through agroecology and solar powered irrigation systems.

The projects are Resilience Building for Chimanimani Communities (RBCC) which helps communities prepare for and recover from disasters caused by climate change; Planting for Progress, which supports smallholder farmers to adopt climate-smart agriculture practices; and Resilience Enhanced Through Agricultural productivity (REAP), which enables farmers to access water for irrigation using renewable energy.

Emmanuel Madhara, Practical Action’s Zimbabwe Director said “We are thrilled to receive this recognition for our work in Zimbabwe. This award showcases our approach of working with communities to find innovative and scalable solutions to the challenges they face due to climate change.

This award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, partners, and participants, who are making a difference in their lives and the environment.”

The other nominees in the award category include UNDP Zimbabwe, Oxfam, Environmental Buddies, and Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust.