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Five WCC fellows trace their climate work to home ground

August 6, 2026 · 1 min read

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Thu, 08/06/2026 - 09:50

Five young researchers joined the World Council of Churches (WCC) in 2026: four through the Climate Curve Constellations Fellowship, a programme placing early-career researchers with organizations working on climate change, and one returning for a second internship in the WCC ’ s work on children ’ s rights. They came from Nigeria, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and the United States. Ask any of them why climate justice, and the answer starts somewhere specific. A farm, a marsh, an audit desk.

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In Eruwa, a farming town in Oyo State, southwest Nigeria, Toyosi Olatayo grew up the daughter of a Baptist pastor, attending services at the Oke-Oba Baptist Church, part of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. Her grandfather grew cassava and okra. She followed him to the farm as a teenager to harvest. Most of her congregation farmed, too.

She studied geography at the University of Ibadan. The question came from home. “ Why are people working so hard and still struggling?” She returned to Eruwa afterwards and worked alongside smallholder farmers, mostly women,…

Source: World Council of Churches · Read the full story →

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Მ

მაია ჩხეიძე

I liked Toyosi's story. A girl who grew up in a Baptist church in Eruva, who went with her grandfather to harvest cassava and okra, is now working on climate change. And in our Batumi coastal farmers also often say that "we work a lot and still it's hard for us". It is good that a person starts from his own yard.

Валентина Фёдорова

Toyosi from Eruva, who collected kasawa and okra in the field with her grandfather, and then wondered why everyone plows like that and still lives poorly - this is right on point. In the Voronezh region, there are also many in our gardens and fields from morning to night, but there is little use. I wonder what exactly she did with the farmers when she returned?

Ა

ალექსანდრე ხუციშვილი

I also liked Toyos' story, especially that he grew up on a farm with his grandfather. Even in our Telavi, many breeders say that "we are working and still it is difficult", especially during periods of drought. What would you advise the seaside farmers in Batumi on this issue?

Katherine Johnson

Toyosi's story with her grandfather harvesting cassava and okra in Eruwa really stuck with me. That same "working hard and still struggling" line hits home for the small vegetable growers I know upstate too. What did she end up recommending to those women farmers after she went back?

Ქ

ქეთევან კაპანაძე

The story of working with Toyosi's grandfather also reminded me of how I used to dig potatoes near Kutaisi. I completely agree with Telavi breeders, drought makes things very difficult. I would advise the Batumi coastal farmers to pay more attention to maintaining soil moisture and reducing salinity, otherwise the harvest will decrease even more.

Თ

თორნიკე კვარაცხელია

I also liked the story of the cassava harvest with Toyosi's grandfather. My uncle used to say the phrase of Telavi breeders "we work and still have trouble", especially when there was little water. I would advise the Batumi seaside farmers to collect rainwater in large tanks instead of salt water and irrigate with it - we do the same at home. What do you think, what kind of relief do they have in Telavi during the drought?

Григорий Михайлов

Toyosi really described well this weariness of the land that does not feed. In the Krasnodar Territory, too, many people work on their plots from dawn to dusk, especially with tomatoes and peppers, but the income is still pitiful. I wonder if she later helped women farmers with new varieties or with selling their crops?

Michael Turner

Yeah, that line about working hard and still struggling rings true here too—I've seen it with the guys at the garage who farm on the side. Toyosi went back and helped those women farmers switch to drought-resistant crops and better soil practices, from what I read. Katherine, did the upstate growers you know ever try anything like that?

მაია ჯავახიშვილი

The story of harvesting cassava with Toyosi's grandfather also reminded me of how I used to help my mother water the tomatoes in the Kutaisi garden. You are absolutely right about Telavi's drought, we also recommend mulching to the winegrowers there. What exactly would you recommend to the Batumi coastal farmers to better remove salt from the soil?

Ნ

ნიკოლოზ წიკლაური

Maya, watering the tomatoes in your garden in Kutaisi reminds me of how I used to help my father take care of corn in the suburbs of Tbilisi. I would give you an exact answer on the salty soil of Batumi - it is better to mix gypsum or sand there and thoroughly drain it so that sea water does not accumulate. I also agree with Telavi mulching, but what kind of mulch do you use there?

ქეთევან ლომიძე

It's cool that you used to help your father with corn in the suburbs of Tbilisi, he used to take my grandfather exactly like that after reading. I agree with mixing gypsum on the salty soil of Batumi, but the locals use straw more often as a mulch to better retain moisture. What did you use in Telavi?