Interview
"I'm here at COP to influence policymakers and lawmakers to make laws and policies that will really affect the future generation and the generation now in a good way,” she said. “My message for the global leaders is to listen more to children who have a voice and who want to change the story.”
Children have a passion to make their futures positive, Wanjiku said. “It’s basically to make policies and laws that will really help our future generation,” she said.
When she was younger, she planted trees, and, in the past few years, has moved toward advocating for climate-responsible financing. “This leap was mainly growing up and becoming older, becoming a teenager, becoming a young adult,” she said. “It's mainly when you grow up and you realize, oh, it's not just only about planting trees because when I was younger, I never knew what climate finance was."
She recalled that, when she was four years old, she planted trees all the time. She still plants trees, but now also talks about climate finance, health, and biodiversity. “It all started because I wanted to make a difference in the world,” she said. “When I was planting trees, I would also do stuff about plastic pollution, and and I'd pick up trash from the river, and I'd make videos about it so that people can do the same thing.”
Wanjiku said her Christian faith is the foundation for her advocacy.
“Because I have faith in my God, he will deliver what I prayed for,” she said. “He will deliver what I've asked for."
Her message for children is to stay close to God. “God created a world that he wanted us to take care of,” she said. “That's number one. Number two is follow your passion.”
Number three, she said, is be positive and humble. “So make sure you love everyone, equally, and, you know, love your enemies,” she said.
