Climate Action Awards – Misean Cara

Climate Action Awards

Recognising commitment to
climate resilience

Responding to our members work in addressing the climate crisis, in 2020 we established the Misean Cara annual Climate Action Awards.

In 2021, the Climate Action Awards recognised individual projects and people that were showing leadership to help communities protect their environment, restore biodiversity and find new and innovative ways to grow food. The 2021 winners were:

Fr. Tim Galvin with members of the St. Mary Magdalen Parish at work in the parish gardens and tree nursery in Riwoto, South Sudan.

Photo: Saint Patrick’s Missionary Society

Mr. Lucien Diarra of St. Louise Inclusive School,

Nouna, Burkina Faso, received an Individual Award for his forward-thinking work as the school’s gardener and groundskeeper, transforming a dusty compound with little shade into a lush microclimate that produces fruit trees and crops to feed the school community. His outreach initiatives to ten nearby villages have resulted in increased tree planting and an understanding of the importance of climate care. Sr. Toyin Abegunde of the Daughters of Charity remarked “We wish to nominate Lucian Diarra for his resilience in promoting climate change and encouraging others to do so in a difficult climate zone.”

Lucien Diarra (in brown shirt and white cap, far right) with staff at the St. Louise Inclusive School, Nouna, Burkina Faso.

Photo: Daughters of Charity

Fr. Tim Galvin, Saint Patrick’s Missionary Society,

also received an Individual Award for his work with the St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Riwoto, South Sudan. Fr. Tim, a Laudato Si’ Animator, is working with his parish community to mitigate the effects of climate change by planting trees for shade and fruit and by setting up the St. Mary Magdalen Garden at the parish primary school, which provides food crops for the school. Every plant and tree grown stores carbon and reduces the level of greenhouse gas emissions, while the trees also help combat desertification and prevent erosion by flooding during the rainy season. Flowers are also being planted to attract bees and butterflies.

Participants in a climate finance research initiative fill out survey forms in Kenya.

Photo: Salesians of Don Bosco Ireland

The Salesian Missions of Ireland/Don Bosco Aid

were awarded a project-based Climate Action Award for a grassroots community-based survey to gather data on how well the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Climate has been implemented. The Action Agenda was established in 2015 to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by providing a new global framework for financing sustainable development. The Salesians conducted the survey in communities in seven countries: India, Nepal, the Philippines, Mexico, Haiti, Kenya and Senegal. The research findings were later presented at the 2021 UN Economic and Social Council Forum on Financing for Development and were used to call on UN leaders to help better protect the planet and its most vulnerable people by advocating directly to UN decision makers.

Download PDF

Misean Cara Website

For further information about our work or to comment on this report, please contact:

Misean Cara
4th Floor, Callaghan House,
13-16 Dame Street, Dublin 2,
D02 HX67, Ireland

Tel: +353 (0) 1 405 5028
Email: info@miseancara.ie
Facebook: /MiseanCaraIreland
Twitter: @miseancara

Design by Allen Creative

Misean Cara gratefully acknowledges the funding support of Irish Aid.

Misean Cara has signed the Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images and Messages for Non-Governmental Development Organisations.

Misean Cara is a member of the Charities Institute of Ireland.

Misean Cara gratefully acknowledges the funding support of GHR Foundation.

Misean Cara gratefully acknowledges the funding support of the Raskob Foundation.

Misean Cara gratefully acknowledges the funding support of the Brigidine Sisters.