By Nneka Nwogwugwu
16-year-old Rahmina Paulette from Kenya is a climate activist that has rolled our some campaigns to protect Lake Victoria against plastic pollution.
Paulette attended the COP26 United Nations climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland last November and now her attention is turning to COP27 which will be held in Egypt later this year.
” Today we are doing the global climate strike of where here in Kenya Kisumu we will be up-lifting one campaign which is ‘Let Lake Victoria Breathe Again’ and we will be having also another campaign called ‘Food at COP’ which is aiming at promoting indigenous vegetable to be served at COP27.
We are having the narrative which is people, not profit, which is basically taking care of the human health at the same time providing environmental solutions and not looking towards economic benefits ,” she said.
Paulette’s campaign called “Let Lake Victoria Breathe Again focuses on the negative impacts of pollution and rising temperatures on the environment around the lake.
Paulette has been at the forefront of fighting against the pollution of Lake Victoria and founded a project that uses invasive water hyacinth to make a wide range of products like tables, chairs, baskets and table mats.
Water hyacinth has engulfed Lake Victoria and negatively impacted its ecosystem by preventing aquatic life from getting adequate sunlight.
Paulette helps with local plastic recycling by organizing regular cleaning activities on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Plastics are collected and taken to recycling plants thus ensuring a cleaner environment and creating employment opportunities for local people who transform the waste into useful items.