Spotlight GEDA Members: The ShexEarth Network

by geda

September 6, 2024

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your work at ShexEarth Network.

Aprille: Hello, I’m Aprille, co-founder and currently the Executive Director of ShexEarth Network. We are a youth and women-led organization in the Philippines advocating for climate justice and gender equity. Our goal is to help communities achieve gender-responsive ecological solutions through education, organization, and collaboration.

One of our initiatives focuses on training young women to become first-aid psychosocial responders in times of disaster. We provide them with gender-sensitivity training, psychosocial response education, and environmental workshops to equip them for these roles.

We also conduct environmental educational campaigns, particularly focusing on women working for the environment. Since our inception, we’ve launched a southeast-asian wide storytelling campaign on women and the planet, and published a storybook on the complexities of climate change in the Philippines.

ShexEarth was born out of the devastation caused by Supertyphoon Rai in 2021. Having witnessed the lack of gender-sensitive approaches in environmental issues, we felt compelled to create a network of climate and gender advocates—and we’ve been building on that mission ever since.

2. Why is data at the intersection of gender and environment/climate important to ShexEarth Network?

Aprille: We believe that environmental issues are not gender-neutral. Data is central to our work, largely because there is such a lack of it—especially here in the Philippines.

Before formally organizing, we spent a year gathering data from our community to understand local practices, identify gaps, and propose actionable solutions. Having solid data allows us to take more targeted, effective actions.

3. What inspired ShexEarth Network to become part of GEDA?

Aprille: We joined GEDA because we’re always looking for opportunities to grow and deepen our impact. As a relatively young organization, we value mentorship and resources that can help us develop our work further. Connecting with others who are working on similar issues is essential for us, and we believe being part of GEDA will help us achieve that.

4. What are you looking forward to in terms of gender and environment data this year (or what really inspired you this year)?

Aprille: This year, we’re eager to access more gender and environment data specifically from Southeast Asia. While there’s substantial data available for South and Central Asia, Southeast Asia often lacks representation, even though we’re at the front line when typhoons hit from the Pacific.

Our hope is to either find or contribute to more data in this space, as it’s essential for creating meaningful, informed solutions in our region.