Climate change impacts are great and disproportionately affect women. A Mexican proverb tells us that, ?the house does not rest on the ground but upon a woman?. Women have a great burden and climate change is making the burden heavier.

Brendah Mutale, a mother from Northern Zambia shares her story. ?We had a good standard of life when growing up but because of the erratic weather with the rain not following seasonal patterns our harvest has decreased and it?s affecting our livelihood, we have to plant trees and vegetation to stop erosion; we have to create irrigation so that water doesn?t destroy crops.?

There has been a huge change, before it used to rain seasonally but now it doesn?t. Of course I?m worried due to the lack of rainfall everything withers and dies no matter what I plant seeds are just dying. We are not getting enough food from farming so something had to be done to feed the family so my husband left home to work outside of the village. There are many families that have to struggle like this. While my husband is away to work I take on the responsibility to look after the cattle, go to fields to get vegetables so obviously it?s difficult.

 Here, one may begin to try and understand a mother?s love for her child. Most of these women don?t have good memories for some who have struggled so much pleasant memories are hard to recollect. And because they have suffered like that they don?t want their children to go through the same thing. ?If I die there is nothing I can do but as long as I am alive I will struggle for them?.

 She doesn?t want her children?s lives to be as hard as hers even though it?s difficult ?I am sending them to school?. Inspite of her dire situation Brendah is optimistic of her children?s future to be bright once they have good education but if the children decide to stay and farm there is little hope.

 Some men like my husband can be ill considerate, they know that they can bearly provide for the family but they still want more children. I worry about this sometimes, what?s going to happen to my children as they grow up, we?ll get old and die how about the children who are just born they are the ones who are going to suffer this coming changes and the only way we can raise our kids is from the land if the land fails to produce there isn?t enough to feed them.

Due to climate change women know that it?s in their best interest to space children so to protect themselves every three months they take an injection for birth control. Before we weren?t on birth control we were always so scared to get pregnant again because if I have more children what will they do? What will they eat? They would need education etc but we are happy now we have it under control. My husband calls me lazy sometimes because I stay at home and not go to work but how can I go to work with four boys that need caring?  Women struggle at home for a family to be healthy and happy, for my husband complaining to have a place he can call home.

Brendah volunteers at the health centre where she feeds hungry children and teach family planning to their parents. When they have children every year it hurts them, when they use contraception and space birth every 3 to 5 years the mothers get stronger and the children also grow up with the needed strength and care.

? We have to work and achieve change for ourselves? Brendah advises but work alone isn?t the answer for example in one household there can be eight or ten children. A woman?s burden is great she doesn?t have a break from morning till night. She works and carries a heavy load atleast when empowered, women and their families are better able to adapt to climate change and family planning is part of the solution.