Communication and Climate Change Mitigation Among the Homeless Mothers in Mathare, Nairobi County.

Abstract

While undertaking this study, the researcher’s main objective was to investigates connections between communication and mitigation efforts in reducing climate change among homeless mothers in Mathare, Nairobi County. The research primarily examined the communication obstacles that women from disadvantaged populations encounter in their quest to receive and comprehend climate change information and its consequences. The problem statement in the study posits that climate change exacerbates social disparities affecting vulnerable populations especially homeless mothers and how crucial effective communication is for climate change mitigation and adaptation. The social disadvantage framework and the empowerment framework were the main theories that guided the research. Integrating the two frameworks offered a more nuance understanding of communication barriers faced by homeless mothers in Mathare. While the social disadvantage framework identifies the structural factors contributing to the barriers, the empowerment framework provides strategies to address these barriers through active participation, capacity building and the fostering of communication platforms. A mixed-methods approach was employed to incorporating surveys and in-depth interviews to investigate the preferred communication routes, the level of climate change awareness and the obstacles to effective communication among homeless mothers. The findings of this research indicated a notable disparity between the communication tactics utilized by organizations and the specific requirements of the target demographic. Homeless mothers predominantly depend on informal communication networks such as word-of-mouth as formal channels like internet platforms are mostly inaccessible owing to technology and literacy obstacles. In addition, the study revealed significant barriers such as limited literacy rates, language preferences and urgent survival requirements as the impediments to the acceptance and the implementation of climate change mitigation and adaptation techniques. the study therefore suggests customized communication techniques that prioritizes culturally appropriate content, foster trust through community involvement and integrate climate information with vital services. These measures aimed to strengthen the resilience of homeless mothers in respect to the impacts of climate change.