Youth-Led Climate Action: How The Atilas Community Based Organisation Is Championing Flood Resilience and Accountability

Founded in September 2024 and legally registered in April 2025, The Atilas Community Based Organisation (Atilas CBO) is driven by the lived experiences of its founder, Catherine Were Adhiambo, and a vision to create sustainable, community-driven solutions to pressing local challenges.

From Personal Struggles to Community Solutions

Catherine Were grew up in a flood-prone area where repeated flooding caused destruction of homes, loss of property, and interrupted livelihoods.

Witnessing the displacement and helplessness of vulnerable households firsthand inspired her lifelong mission to address climate vulnerability in her community.

Her journey gained momentum at university, where she was introduced to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Catherine found a strong alignment between her personal experiences and global frameworks, particularly:

SDG 13: Climate Action

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

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Through engagements with like-minded peers, Catherine embraced the principle that “two heads are better than one,” fostering collective action to tackle environmental and social challenges.

This collaboration eventually led to the birth of Atilas CBO—a youth-led platform committed to holistic community transformation.

Identifying the Gaps

During community engagement activities, Catherine and her team discovered two critical gaps:

Increasing Climate Vulnerability:

Communities faced recurring floods with minimal locally driven, sustainable mitigation strategies.

Vulnerable households remained exposed due to the absence of grassroots initiatives like community-based flood mapping, environmental conservation, and youth-led climate resilience programs.

Lack of Transparency and Accountability:

Observations revealed flaws in the distribution of climate-related compensation.

Some individuals who were not genuine victims benefited from aid, while those truly affected were excluded.

This governance gap undermined trust, weakened social cohesion, and perpetuated inequality.

Catherine recognized that without a structured, youth-led approach at the local level, the principles of climate action and sustainable development highlighted in the SDGs could not translate into practical solutions.

A Youth-Led Response

Atilas CBO was therefore established to address these interconnected challenges.

The organisation focuses on:

Promoting Community-Driven Flood Resilience: Implementing programs that empower local communities to prepare for and mitigate flood impacts.

Strengthening Transparency in Climate Response: Ensuring fair and accountable distribution of resources to genuine victims.

Empowering Youth Participation: Encouraging young people to actively engage in sustainable development initiatives.

Advocating for Climate Justice: Highlighting systemic issues and fostering integrity in resource allocation.