Students and women in vulnerable communities are driving climate innovation in East Africa. This session
highlights practical projects in Tanzania and Kenya that transform vulnerability into resilience through
education, grassroots leadership, and applied learning. Examples include the Dodoma Demonstration
Borehole, School Botanical Garden, and Forest Bioeconomy Development project and BARWAQA Relief
Organization’s women-led resilience programs. Together, these initiatives show how schools can serve as
urban climate innovation hubs and how women’s leadership solutions for water, biodiversity, and food
security. The Innovate4Cities agenda by linking education systems, grassroots organizations, and city
strategies, offering transferable approaches and policy pathways. It emphasizes equity and inclusion by
elevating the voices of students and women from the Global South. Expected outputs include a regional toolkit
for replication, a joint Tanzania–Kenya declaration on resilience, and visual documentation of applied
learning. Interactive dialogue and youth testimonies, the session will inspire collaboration and showcase
practical experience that future urban climate action.
