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04 April 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo SUPPLIED
Dr Kamwendo
Dr Juliet Kamwendo champions gender-inclusive climate action in Africa. Her expertise at the recently held AFR100 workshop highlighted vital steps towards sustainable and equitable development.

Dr Juliet Kamwendo, Lecturer and Programme Director for Gender Studies in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State, is spearheading efforts to integrate gender considerations into Africa's climate restoration agenda. Reflecting on her involvement, Dr Kamwendo stated, "This is particularly crucial, as women make up almost 50% of the population in Africa, and the depletion and degradation of land affect them disproportionately."

She recently served as a gender expert at the AUDA-NEPAD AFR100 workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 25 to 29 March 2024. This initiative aims to restore forests and degraded land across Africa by 2030, with a focus on gender equality.

The workshop emphasised the integration of gender perspectives into the AFR100 project, acknowledging the disproportionate impact of land degradation on women. Dr Kamwendo's expertise highlighted the need to empower women in climate change interventions, addressing existing gender inequalities exacerbated by environmental degradation.

“Women – who are primarily responsible for household food security and water provision – bear the brunt of environmental degradation, leading to increased workloads, reduced income opportunities, and heightened vulnerability to climate-related disasters. Furthermore, the loss of forest cover and biodiversity further exacerbates the challenges faced by women, particularly in rural areas where they depend heavily on natural resources for their livelihoods,” added Dr Kamwendo.

Her participation highlights academia's crucial role in fostering inclusive and sustainable development, emphasising interdisciplinary collaboration to tackle complex environmental challenges. Through initiatives such as AFR100, stakeholders are working towards a more resilient and gender-responsive future for Africa.

News Archive

Kovsies excel at International Badminton tournament
2009-11-18

Wiaan Viljoen and Annari Viljoen from the University of the Free State (UFS) won the men’s and ladies double finals respectively at the recent South African International Badminton tournament that was held in Durban.

Wiaan and his team mate Dorian James (WP) defeated Ali Shahhosseini and Mohammadreza Kheradmani from Iran with 22/20, 17/21 and 21/15. Annari and Michelle Edwards (WP) defeated the Iranian pair Negin Amiripour and Nejatzadeh-Sahar Zamanian 21/16 and 21/14.

Several top players from Africa as well as Mauritius, Iran and Scotland competed in the different categories of the event. According to Ms Janine de Kock from KovsieSport at the UFS the 67 entries for the tournament was a big improvement on last year’s entries.

In the mixed doubles finals it was a South African affair with Dorian James and Michelle Edwards who defeated Wiaan Viljoen and Jade Morgan (WP) 21/11 and 21/17.

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