This November, 150 African climate activists travelled more than 4000 miles through 10 countries to highlight the impact climate change has already had on their lives and attend the UN climate change talks in Durban, South Africa.
On the way, they collected signatures for the African People's petition calling for the richest countries to agree to further binding cuts on carbon emissions and for a fair deal for Africa. Follow Durban coverage
‘All the African presidents, all the African ministers, all the members of civil society will go with one voice and claim what is ours. ’ Mithika Mwende
‘We have had dryness and floods in our community and it’s leading to malnutrition for our children.’ Nizigama Sylvane, Burundi
‘We have been displaced from our land by the floods. School blocks and health centres have been washed out.’ Janet Mussa, Malawi
‘I want to see finance for adaptation. The changes are here and they are not going to be reversed.’ Chisimphika Mphande, Malawi
‘I’m hoping the Kyoto Protocol won’t be killed in Durban. The big countries don’t want to subscribe but I’m hoping they will.’Nicholas Ndlogu, Zimbabwe
The journey
A final reflection
Ally Carnwath, our Africa communications officer, joined the Caravan of Hope for the full 4000 miles. Read his final reflection from the journey.
On the 4000 mile journey from Bujumbura to Durban, the landscape outside our bus window changed dramatically, but the stories we heard felt depressingly similar. In countries where farming was the only way of life for most people, it was becoming almost impossible.
Temperatures were rising, we were told, and in communities where people have known for generations when the rains would come and with roughly what intensity, they no longer had any idea. There is a lack of scientific data on climate change in Africa, but all of the accounts matched what climate scientists predict will happen in the region.
Some of the people I met during my journey - some Caravanites, others not - explained to me how the changing climate is already affecting them. I heard how schools and health centres had been washed away, how they are struggling to keep livestock alive and how they are surviving on just one meal a day. For them, it is vital the UN climate change talks deliver.
Listen to Ally's final podcast as the petition is handed in to the South African government in Pretoria. Listen to this podcast
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