Using ‘Claymation’ and Digital Arts for Climate Change Education in Morija!

The French Embassy is collaborating with The Hub in Morija, Lesotho, on a project raising awareness and mobilizing the youth on climate and gender injustice. The Hub will engage adolescents and youth in creating a short claymation (stop-motion animation using clay) film, and designing posters on climate change.

Through the creation of the claymotion film, young people who will gain comprehensive skills in stop-motion animation production; an estimated 200,000+ people will be reached online with published animation and one animated film will become an open-source educational material on The Hub’s website.

The posters will be displayed as a permanent educational outdoor exhibition in Morija, to sensitize the community on issues of climate change and adaptation.

This initiative is in line with France’s commitment to supporting initiatives that involve the youth in issues that concern them and their future, and use digital supports to advance development, human rights, and well-being.

Why support this project?

In Lesotho, more than 90% of disasters are related to climate variability and change, specifically, drought, snowfall, hailstorms, strong wind, localized floods, and early frost and pest infestations.  When a severe El Niño-induced drought hit Lesotho in the past, it was accompanied by above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall, which reduced crop production and decreased inflows to the dams, putting more than 60% of the rural population at risk of food insecurity.

The impact of climate change on girls and women is intrinsically linked to gender inequity and violations of their human rights and dignity. Women are more exposed to the effects of climate change, including more frequent and severe natural catastrophes. For rural girls and women, as water sources dry up, they are forced to travel longer distances to access water, increasing their burden, reducing their capacity to attend school, generate an income, and invest in their professions. They are more likely to be poor and have less control over their resources, which makes them more prone to food insecurity.

Who is The Hub?

The Hub is an LGBTQ+ female-led creative technology lab operating in Morija.  Through vivid storytelling, animation, video, photography, and music production, it aims at adopting a creative, collaborative, and interactive approach to raising awareness of and pursuing solutions to climate change and related social challenges.

Find out more about the work of The Hub here!