Zinhle Paints a Plea for Action: Save Our World!

Twelve-year-old Zinhle, from Mangwe district, Zimbabwe, clutches a colouring pencil in her hand, but she is not just drawing, she’s telling a story, weaving a tale of a changing world through vibrant colours and stark realities.

Zinhle remembers the joy of harvest seasons in the past years. Her mom's fields were green, and her lunchbox filled with her favourite – delicious green mealies. But lately, the world around her continues to change. In her community, the rains, once a dependable friend, have become a memory. The sun is getting hotter and water sources are drying up. The once-green fields are cracked and empty, a constant reminder of the El' Nino induced drought’s unforgiving grip on her community.

“My mother ploughed her fields, but we did not harvest much because it did not rain. It’s the same for my neighbours,”

“In the past years, during harvest season, I would have green mealies from our field to eat during break time at school, but we did not get any this year,” said Zinhle.

However, Zinhle, hopes for a better future. She finds a powerful voice in art.  Armed with colouring pencils and a drawing paper, she paints a vivid picture of the effects of drought in her community - wilting crops, dying animals, and the worry etched on the faces of her community.

“Here, I drew a house and a mother in the garden crying saying what will the children eat, and a baby crying saying we must act now, and a boy crying with hunger saying there is hunger in this earth and a dog dying with hunger. A car causing air pollution. I wrote that we must save our world for something much, much more and incredible,”

"This drawing," she continues, gesturing towards her artwork, "I want it to reach many people so they can understand the need for us to protect our environment."

“My message to our leaders is that we must act now to save our world," said Zinhle.

Zinhle's passion for the environment goes beyond her art. She raises awareness in her community, urging her friends and family to protect the environment.

“I always encourage my friends and siblings to use water wisely, pick litter and plant trees. If we do these small things, we make a difference in our community,” she explains.

Zinhle's dream for the future is simple: rain-filled skies, fields green with crops, and her lunchbox filled with green mealies from her mother's field.

“My hope for the future is that it rains, and we get enough food and water, just like in the past.”

Her hopes go beyond her own needs. She dreams of a world that listens to her message to save the planet, a world where leaders take action on climate change and put children first.

Zinhle participated in Children’s Week of Action organised by Save the Children under the Generation Hope campaign, a global campaign led by children, calling for urgent action on the climate crisis and inequality.  The activity offered a vital platform for children like Zinhle, who have been impacted by the climate crisis, to share their perspectives. Through art, they expressed how climate change is affecting their lives and proposed solutions. Save the Children facilitated the participation of 40 children, ensuring their voices reach local and national decision-makers. Zinhle and her peers also shared their hopes for the future, highlighting the importance of putting children first.