Jennifer Uchendu is making climate action relatable by addressing eco-anxiety and empowering African youth through sustainability.
Jennifer Uchendu is a Nigerian ecofeminist and sustainability advocate who is transforming how climate action is perceived, experienced, and implemented in Africa. She is the founder of SustyVibes, a nonprofit social enterprise launched in 2016, and The Eco-Anxiety Africa Project (TEAP), which started in 2022.
With a master’s degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, UK, earned through the Chevening Scholarship, and training from the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and Lagos Business School, she combines academic expertise with lived experience in her work.
The journey
Uchendu’s climate journey began with a personal realisation that climate change was not solely about rising temperatures or floods, but about how those realities affected people’s feelings, especially young Africans suffering most from the crisis. SustyVibes initially started as a blog advocating for youth perspectives on sustainability in Nigeria, but quickly grew into a youth-led organisation engaging over 700 volunteers across Nigeria and Africa. The organisation uses art, pop culture, and grassroots advocacy to make sustainability accessible.
Through initiatives like Communitrees, they have planted over 5,000 indigenous trees in Lagos and Abuja to combat deforestation and foster biodiversity. Their Street Dreams initiative empowers young women to lead environmental projects through art, while Susty on the Streets tackles plastic pollution with direct advocacy. They have also trained school children on the Sustainable Development Goals and created a database for Nigerian recyclers.
Advocacy and beyond
Beyond environmental advocacy, Jennifer Uchendu recognised the need to address the mental health impacts of climate change, leading her to establish The Eco-Anxiety Africa Project (TEAP) – the first African initiative dedicated to eco-anxiety. TEAP emerged from her struggle with climate grief and anxiety and now works to validate and address the emotional toll of environmental degradation on Africans.
The organisation provides online and physical spaces where young people can share their fears and frustrations regarding the climate crisis. TEAP’s ZenCafe sessions, first held in Lagos, offer these safe, communal spaces. Through ZenGuardians, young activists across Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, and South Africa are trained to lead mental health conversations within their communities. TEAP also connects mental health professionals with climate realities via its Anchor initiative, which offers training in climate-aware psychotherapy.
Research is central to TEAP’s efforts. They conduct surveys, focus groups, and produce reports exploring eco-anxiety within African contexts, highlighting the unique challenges faced, including biodiversity loss, pollution, food insecurity, and displacement. TEAP further promotes intergenerational dialogue through its “Intergenerational Bridges” programme, linking youth and elders to foster wisdom, emotional support, and continuity in climate leadership.
Uchendu’s leadership has garnered international recognition. In 2023, she was named one of the BBC 100 Women, and she is also an inaugural ORA fellow for her project focused on rest and resilience in African activism.
