The hidden heroes of the climate crisis: How women are turning desperation into hope

Khadija is a mother of three in Somalia who, like many, is trapped in an unforgiving cycle of drought and famine. As the severe drought continues, livestock are dying, schools are closing, and families are being pushed to the edge. “I’m unable to put food on the table for my children,” Khadija says. “Some days we eat, some days we don’t.”

Her story is one of many.

CARE’s research shows that when climate disasters strike, it is women who bear the brunt.

According to the United Nations, women work on average an extra 55 minutes a week just to keep their families afloat during climate crises. In many cases, this burden is compounded by the unpaid care work that disproportionately falls on women.

Children, too, are forced to work more in these dire conditions, adding another 49 minutes to their weekly labor—an invisible but devastating toll.

Floods, for example, widen the income gap between rich and poor by $21 billion every year. Heat stress and other climate-related impacts are estimated to cost women $53 billion annually. These staggering figures show the true cost of inequality in the climate crisis.

CARE’s own research shows that extreme weather events impact people’s food security for up to five years. Women are more worried than men about climate change, and they are more food insecure than men. This is because systems are not designed with women’s input or to meet women’s needs.

Despite being the most impacted by climate change, women remain chronically underrepresented in disaster planning and they are overwhelmingly less likely than men to be asked about their needs.

Women-led solutions

Despite these challenges, women are not just passively impacted by climate change. They are leaders, innovators, and the driving force behind many of the solutions that could mitigate its worst effects. In Zimbabwe, Sheba Ngara and her community have built water harvesting systems to combat the severe droughts that are drying up traditional water sources. “Without water, there is no life,” Sheba says. “We lost a lot of livestock due to theft and crocodiles in distant water sources they had to travel to.”

With CARE’s support, Sheba’s community no longer has to travel over five kilometers to find water for their crops and livestock. The water harvesting system has secured the village’s food supply and allowed them to sell surplus vegetables, boosting the local economy. The income generated helps fund school fees and community savings programs, offering hope amid the climate chaos.

In Bangladesh, women like Lucky Alter are stepping into leadership roles as Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) leaders. In the wetlands of northeast Bangladesh, where monsoon seasons bring increasingly intense flash floods, Lucky is part of a network of nearly 3,000 women trained by CARE to prepare their communities for disaster. Her work in spreading early warnings and protecting assets is saving lives.

A global failure to invest

While women are finding local solutions, the world is investing far too little to help them succeed. Only 7.5% of global climate funding is directed toward adaptation efforts, and much of that doesn’t reach the communities that need it most. Of the $100 billion pledged annually for climate finance, only $10 billion goes to small-scale producers, who are on the frontlines of climate change.

Closing the gender gap in agriculture alone could feed an additional 45 million people each year. Yet, women in agriculture often lack access to the resources they need, from agricultural extension services to climate information. In many countries, women are still sidelined in disaster preparedness and climate planning, making it harder for them to adapt to the changing environment.

“We are not responsible for the damages caused by climate change,” says Mamta Begum from Bangladesh, where floods have devastated entire communities. “I want to say to world leaders—you must take measures so that we can survive.”