Summary: Philipa Cride-Dole is a Sierra Leonean environmentalist and activist for children’s rights. As a result of her work and of being a girl, she has suffered bullying and is often considered incapable of leading. She also faces continual difficulties in accessing funds to support her efforts.

Profile: Philipa Cride-Dole is a champion of children—especially girls— and environmental activist. She began her work during school outreaches and campaigns, including community radio campaigns and summits. In doing this, she has lent her voice outside the borders of Sierra Leone in an attempt to call governments, the United Nations, and NGOs to join her in advocating for children’s well-being and in recognizing the impacts of climate change. She has expressed optimism for fruitful outcomes from COP29 in Azerbaijan, which she believes could reshape the discourse on climate change issues. She is also the national president for Children Forum Network (CFN), the leading organisation focusing on children and their welfare in Sierra Leone. Cride-Dole participates in debates and public speaking, which has helped her become more committed. In 2023, at a public gathering in Nairobi, Kenya, she read out a declaration on the rights of children.

As part of her work, Cride-Dole partners with ChildFund Sierra Leone, contributing to children’s rights conferences, school campaigns, and radio talk shows. She focuses on children and the need for addressing climate change, extending her influence beyond Sierra Leone to Dubai, Liberia, Switzerland, and Azerbaijan. At times, she alludes to events such as the August 14, 2017, mudslide that claimed lives and displaced many children: “The memory of that huge loss is still fresh on the minds of Sierra Leoneans.”

To carry out these efforts, Cride-Dole continually faces negative consequences, e.g., bullying because of her role as national president of CFN. She recalls the experiences of people looking down on her: “People think I’m too young, I cannot lead, I don’t have the expertise. And they ask how can a young girl like me lead people that are older than myself? I face similar situations in my academic pursuit as well. People think that I’m too young to take leadership responsibilities, even though I am equal to them.”

Cride-Dole often feels frustrated by these experiences, but she remains resilient and continues to engage authorities and stakeholders with tough questions on climate reform and inclusion of young people, particularly girls.

Another difficulty Cride-Dole faces in her climate change advocacy in respect of youth is financial support for her campaign, something that has not improved since 2023. To tackle this, she has established the Cride-Dole Company, which produces bags, shoes, and other school materials through recycled plastics as a way of tackling plastic waste management and using the proceeds from sales to support her campaign.

“But to do this,” she says, “I need funding, which has not come in handy, but I am starting off with the little I have, while I continue to work hard for more support.”

Cride-Dole wants to continue to positively impact the lives of children and girls not only in Sierra Leone, but the globe, while standing up for girls’ and children’s rights and interests, believing that together they all can work hand-in-glove to advance gender equality.