Effects of Climate Change on Women’s Health in Mahama Sector, Rwanda

Patrick Gatsinzi – Adventist University of Central Africa, Rwanda
Livingstone Byandaga – International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Rwanda
Corresponding Author: gatsinzipatrick@yahoo.com

Received September 11, 2020; Revised September 29, 2020; Accepted September 30, 2020

Abstract: Climate change effects resulting from extreme weather events are diverse and do tremendously affect the physical environment and human health across the globe. Vulnerable rural livelihoods are the most affected. These vulnerable livelihoods are both the gender-men and women. However, the extent to which gender are affected is not well documented in the literature of developing countries. In this study, we investigated the effects of climate change on women’s health in Mahama Sector, Kirehe District, Rwanda. Three research questions guided the study: (1) What type of climate changes are in mahama sector? (2)What are their effects on women’s health compared to men? (3) What can be done to alleviate their effects? The study employed phenomenological and case study designs to collect and analyse data from 3 FDGs and 5 individual cases. 35 respondents participated in the study. Qualitative methods of coding, and categorizing data, was used in the development of themes. Findings indicated that the climate changes that prevailed in mahama sector were- prolonged droughts, destructive rains, destructive winds, and irregular rains. Their effects on women’s health included hunger, poor health, lack of sex appetite, men’s migration, children’s school dropout, psychological harm, destruction of houses and crops, teenage pregnancies; family conflict-free living and house privacy exposure. They affected women’s health than men. It was concluded that climate changes have drastic effects on women health. These findings led to the design of a climate change intervention conceptual model.