Maria has trained over 2000 students to go into schools and communities, where 1,000 to 2000 people gather. These individuals teach people about climate change, with a focus on solutions and behavior change. Their goal is to educate the community on how they can adapt to climate change and prevent deforestation. Maria’s team visits four schools per week to run these sessions.

Maria’s hope is that these students pass on their learnings to their family members and other villages to create a greater impact and give people a better understanding of climate change. She realized that people engage in destructive behavior because they lack knowledge. When people have knowledge, they understand the impact of their actions on the environment.

In Maria’s community, people had a limited understanding of climate change. In Chisinga, people saw trees as fuel, not as a crucial part of the ecosystem. Once Maria won the prize, people became interested in the topic of deforestation and were eager to learn more. Now, they are changing their behavior – 70% of people have started to see the benefits of trees beyond firewood and are advocating for the protection of trees.

If you are a teacher or a school and would like to have a workshop session in your school please get in touch.