Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner

Founder: Jo-Jikum

On 23 September 2014, a young poet from the Marshall Islands spoke to 120 heads of state at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit. Kathy’s impassioned poem entitled “Dear Matafele Peinem”, written to her 6-month-old daughter, triggered a standing ovation and tears of inspiration from world leaders.

That day in New York, the world witnessed a bold changemaker rise up and embark on a heroic journey to save her sinking country, as well as many other climate vulnerable countries worldwide. Earth Company joined and supports Kathy’s journey in building the foundations of her organization, Jo-Jikum, to empowering future generation Pacific Islanders to not only survive but also thrive in the impending world of unpredictable, irreversible shifts due to climate change.

Kathy’s ambition to save her home country led her to expand her influence from grassroot movement to public policy. She currently holds a pivotal position as the Marshall Island’s climate change envoy, lobbying with Marshallese government as well as foreign head of states to ensure the Paris agreement of keeping the global temperature threshold at 2°C, is kept.

Read their story

Organization

Jo-Jikum

Active In

Marshall Islands

Cause

Climate Change

SDGs

• SDG 13
• SDG 14
• SDG 15

Support Started

2017

Support Ended

2019

Support Report

THE MISSION

"Supporting the Next Generation of Marshallese to Navigate and Develop Solutions to Environmental Issues Impacting Their Islands"

21,500,000±

people displaced due to climate change per year (between 2008-2016)

260,000,000

lives in coastal communities are at risk due to rising sea levels

islands have been submerged by rising sea levels

more islands will submerge in the next decade

WHAT THEY DO

Empowering Future Generation Pacific Islanders to Rise Above the Climate Crisis

Amplify Voices

The Marshallese youth will be forced to live with the devastating consequences of climate change. And yet, when it comes to climate change, their voices are not heard. Jo-Jikum believes in the power of youth voices, and their ability to make changes if given the opportunity and support.

Rise Above

In the past decade, the Marshall Islands has dealt with the worst inundations, king tide flooding and droughts often leading the country to declare a state of emergency. Jo-Jikum supports immediate disaster relief on the ground – through workshops, surveys, and relief funds.

Regenerate Culture

The loss of indigenous traditions and culture is one of the most pressing consequences of climate change. What will happen to the culture if the land is lost? Jo-Jikum creates a dialogue across generations, mediums and skills to preserve the sacred knowledge for future generations.

OUR SUPPORT

Maximizing the Marshallese youth's impact in the Pacific and beyond

Youth Center

PR and Media Presence

Management Consulting

Fundraising – Earth Company raised US$144,100 to build a youth center where Jo-Jikum will conduct its activities to transform their youth from passive victims of the climate change into active navigators of their complicated future. By having a center, Jo-Jikum is be able to nurture more leaders capable of changing the future of the Marshall Islands and beyond.

Opportunity Building – For organizations like Jo-Jikum operating in low-resource settings, building institutional reputation and brand presence are equally as important as fundraising. As such, Earth Company supported Kathy and Jo-Jikum by boosting their media presence and develop strategic partnerships – reaching more than 10 million people. Through this support, Earth Company sought to provide longer-term benefits to Kathy and Jo-Jikum.

Earth Company played a part in strengthening Jo-Jikum’s operations - working with Kathy and co-founder Milan to identify and analyze the issues, formulate annual plans and financial strategies, and provide leadership coaching. In order to develop a revenue-generating business under Jo-Jikum, Earth Company and Jo-Jikum worked together to create a climate change study tour program targeting Japanese and American students and professionals alike. With the covid pandemic, the study tour plans have been on the backburner but will be revived once international travel resumes.