2023-10-04

ENRICH Project gets African Nova Scotian communities prepared for climate change

Advocate Media Inc.

A project to make African Nova Scotian communities more resilient to climate change and advance environmental justice was recently approved for a quarter of a million dollars in funding.

The province's Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, which supports the move to clean and sustainable energy, the growth of the clean economy, and climate change preparedness, recently announced funding approval for three projects.

One of those is the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities and Community Health (ENRICH) Project, led by MakeWay, which received $250,000 to build climate change preparedness plans and promote environmental justice for 12 African Nova Scotian communities: Digby; Weymouth Falls; Cherrybrook; North Preston; East Preston; Beechville; Whitney Pier; Shelburne; Yarmouth; Bridgewater; Greenville; and Liverpool.

"The ENRICH Project is a collaborative community-based advocacy, engagement and research organization that is addressing the social, political and health effects of environmental racism and climate change in Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities in Canada," said Ingrid Waldron, founder and Executive Director of ENRICH.

"With the generous support of the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, this project will be delivered in collaboration with the African Nova Scotian Western Service Providers Network, Inspiring Communities, and CLIMAtlantic. The ENRICH Project is a project on MakeWay's shared platform."

In an email, Waldron wrote that the funding will be used for "various activities, including paying honoraria to workshop participants from the 12 communities."

"The funding was granted to my organization the ENRICH Project and not individual communities," she wrote. "The communities were based on the people who caMe forward to help recruit participants and organize the workshops."

The Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund provides $15 million over three years for projects that help communities adapt to climate change, mitigate its impacts, and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the provincial government.

"Communities and community-led organizations are the first responders on climate change and have a wealth of knowledge about what they need to do to adapt to, and mitigate the impacts of, climate change," said Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman.

"I am pleased to announce this funding which helps community organizations to lead the action that is needed to tackle climate change head-on and reduce carbon emissions. In fact, community action and leadership is absolutely critical in ensuring we have a green, sustainable future."

The province said the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund is available to municipalities, non-profit and community organizations, post-secondary institutions and Mi'kmaw communities.

The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities was selected through a request for proposals to develop and administer the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund on behalf of the province.

"The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, through the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, is delighted to announce funding for three innovative projects that embody the spirit of progress and sustainability," Juanita Spencer, CEO, Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities added. "These initiatives set a clear example of how to build a brighter, greener future for all. We look forward to seeing the lasting impact of these projects on our communities."