Climate activists, including religious leaders, demonstrate at the COP27 U.N. climate summit on Nov. 11, 2022, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, calling for increased funding for climate action. (NCR photo/Doreen Ajiambo)
by GSR Staff
Doreen Ajiambo, Global Sisters Report's Kenya-based Africa regional correspondent, has been honored for her reporting focusing on climate justice and women of faith during last year's United Nations climate summit, or COP29.
The prestigious honor comes from the Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards, which recognize outstanding reporting on the climate crisis from around the world.
Ajiambo's coverage for GSR was praised by judges for highlighting perspectives often absent from mainstream reporting on global climate negotiations, including the ministries of Catholic sisters.
Judges noted that her storytelling "made clear and raised the stakes of COP29 for her audience."
Doreen Ajiambo, GSR's Africa regional correspondent. (Courtesy of Doreen Ajiambo)
Ajiambo's stories examined how the loss and damage fund could aid drought-stricken communities in Zambia; reported on faith activists' critique of the vast sums rich nations devote to wars while claiming they cannot afford climate financing; and showcased the work of Catholic sisters to elevate the voices of women disproportionately impacted by climate change.
Ajiambo was one of three winners in the category "International relations, including COP29."
Organized by Covering Climate Now, a global journalism initiative, the awards "honor stories that are accurate, compelling, and human-centered. Judges look for work that uplifts underrepresented voices, holds power to account, and makes the stakes of climate change clear, " the initiative said.
"By celebrating strong storytelling across formats and regions, the awards aim to raise the standard of climate journalism and keep the crisis at the center of the global news agenda."
In accepting the recognition, Ajiambo emphasized the urgency of centering African voices. "Too often, decisions that shape the future of our planet are made without listening to those who suffer the most," she said. "My goal has always been to make sure that the woman farmer in Zambia or the sister working in a refugee camp has her voice heard alongside world leaders."
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Ajiambo also reflected on the imbalance of global priorities. "It was striking to see how easily billions are allocated to fund wars, while African families wait desperately for a fraction of that support to rebuild after floods or droughts," she said. "That contradiction is what I wanted to bring home to readers."
For Ajiambo, who has reported across the continent on issues of faith, justice and resilience, the award is not just personal. "This honor belongs to the sisters and communities who trusted me with their stories," she said. "They are the real witnesses to the climate crisis, and I hope this recognition pushes the world to finally act."
Ajiambo's stories can be read here, here and here.
Co-founded in 2019 by Columbia Journalism Review and The Nation magazine in association with the Guardian and WNYC in New York City, Covering Climate Now invites journalists everywhere to transform coverage of what it says is "the defining story of our time."
