Ms Jane Meriwas:

What I meant is that 95% of the community cannot read and write. Basically, access to a phone is difficult and most of these areas also have very poor or even limited infrastructure, including communications and the Internet. Some of these mechanisms are set when we talk about climate finance, loss and damage and access. That itself is denying people the opportunity even to access resources. Education is key so that even if people are in remote areas, they are able to know this money is there, it is theirs and they can also hold accountable anybody who is supposed to give it to them. That is what I meant.

Having said that, my colleague raised the issues of the loss and damage fund being the first response to impacts in climate crises and drought. Almost all the community have lost their livelihoods, which includes livestock. There is no water even for growing maize and oats in agriculture. Everybody is vulnerable. Everybody is poor. Yes, there is a need to have that fund. It is urgent. However, there is also a need to have a mechanism so that the people who are impacted heavily by loss and damage are able to access it in a way that it is accessible to them.