Zambian Teen, an 18-year-old Bridget Chanda is helping spread the word about climate change using sign language. Bridget, a double amputee, interprets lessons at a school where students with special needs learn alongside their peers.

Renbowned as Zambian teen, Chanda joined Chileshe Chepela Particular College in Kasama, Northern Zambia, in 2022 and learned sign language on her own initiative to bond with her classmates, even though she isn’t deaf.

“When I came, it was challenging for me, because by then I never knew sign language. So like it was very difficult for me to communicate with them. But as time goes on, I discovered I just have to know sign language so that I can be helping them in one or two things,” said Bridget.

Chanda recalls having difficulty finding the right words to explain mulching, for example — adding organic material to soil to help trap moisture — or climate adaptation, the ways people can adjust to more extreme weather.

“It’s difficult sometimes,” said Chanda. “I sometimes have to finger-spell and when I miss a letter or two it makes it difficult for some students who are deaf.”

Chanda has also served as an interpreter with local weather agriculture professional Elizabeth Motale who visits communities and colleges to teach individuals on local weather change.

“I deliver these sessions to my community members about climate change. Whenever they faced challenges in terms of rainfall, I taught them how to reserve water so that they could use [it] at that particular moment. I faced some challenges in terms of signing for them, but Bridget usually helps me when I’m delivering sessions. She usually signs for them,” said Elizabeth.

Sign language isn’t acknowledged as an official language in Zambia; however, the authorities have taken steps to ensure it’s recognized and has made it necessary for local weather change training to be taught in sign language. However, with the language lagging behind, it can be a challenge to teach new concepts.

“We still have some teaching problems as we improve on how to deliver and cater to the special needs, especially in the hearing in terms of how we correctly deliver this information without diluting the context. And also we’ve got areas where you might have people with special needs, but no one there to really interpret that information, especially at the community level,” said Helena Chandwe, a campaign for female education, enterprise development manager.

The southern African nation has suffered from more frequent extreme weather, including its current severe drought that prompted the president to declare a national emergency in February. The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters, and funded coverage areas at AP.org.