Addressing the consequences of climate change: Climate partnership with Terre des Hommes and myclimate
By Christian Auchter I 6 minute read
23/05/2025
DACHSER, Terre des Hommes, and myclimate officially launched their joint initiative at the end of 2023 with the aim of implementing projects around the world to address the consequences of climate change and open up long-term prospects for the local population. The first projects have now been launched in India, Mozambique, Nepal, and Bolivia.
Project in Bolivia
Diverse—it’s hard to find another country that fits this description as well as Bolivia. The Andean country is characterized by a multitude of ethnic groups, cultures, and languages, features a wide range of geographical and climatic conditions, and is home to great biodiversity. At the same time, however, Bolivia is also one of the poorest countries in Latin America.
A large part of the population in the project areas practices subsistence farming, using most of the harvest for their own food and selling only a small percentage. The consequences of climate change are thus having a particularly strong impact here. People are confronted with extreme weather events such as floods and droughts that lead to crop failures. Access to clean drinking water is not guaranteed and cooking with firewood is harmful to people’s health. As part of a long-term project, Dachser, in partnership with Terre des Hommes and myclimate, wants to help local communities adapt to the consequences of climate change, improve local living conditions, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the same time.
With a bundle of measures and a holistic approach, we want to promote sustainable livelihoods, improve the health of the local population, and strengthen their resilience to climate-related threats.
Long-term support on-site
The projects focus on families from the indigenous Guaraní, Quechua, and Chiquitano tribes living in the south and southeast of Bolivia. A full 5,000 families will receive ecological wood stoves that require less firewood and emit fewer harmful emissions, including CO2. Pipelines and tanks will bring fresh drinking water to 1,500 families, and 460 agroforestry systems are being established. This involves integrating trees and shrubs into agricultural land in order to increase soil fertility and diversification. The project participants are also setting up 200 agroecological gardens for families and offering comprehensive educational programs on environmental topics.
“With a bundle of measures and a holistic approach, we want to promote sustainable livelihoods, improve the health of the local population, and strengthen their resilience to climate-related threats,” says Bernhard Simon, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Dachser. “We started off with a pilot phase so that we can make adjustments early on if necessary. Full implementation is planned for this year and is scheduled to run until 2029.”
The measures are to be implemented by PRODECO, Terre des Hommes’s local partner organization. Climate protection organization myclimate is supporting the project during the evaluation phase, which follows the format of the Gold Standard. This has the world’s strictest standards for certified climate action projects.
5.000
families receive efficient wood stoves that emit fewer harmful emissions.
Key findings and initial successes
The pilot phase in Bolivia has already yielded key findings that can be applied in the further course of the project. For example, adjustments were made to the design of the ecological wood-burning stoves. Compared to the originally planned model, the new stove can be heated up more quickly, has better thermal efficiency, cuts firewood consumption in half, and has a chimney system.
Surveys in three communities have already shown that the new stove brings a number of benefits to families, especially its efficiency and the lower amount of smoke. “I used to need more firewood and the wind made cooking difficult. Now, with just two small logs, the water boils quickly and there’s no smoke,” says Sandra Pesoa Ribera, who uses one of the new stoves. The families also appreciated the fact that the stove preserves the traditional taste of their food.
Based on the knowledge gained and feedback from other projects, the stove’s design will be further refined to provide an even better model.
At the end of 2024, DACHSER, the climate protection organization myclimate, and the children’s rights organization Terre des Hommes agreed on a long-term collaboration. Together, they want to launch new projects worldwide or expand existing initiatives that address the consequences of climate change and improve local livelihoods.
Talking with people directly on-site not only helped us develop a better understanding of the local conditions, but also provided key insights for further project planning and implementation
A growing project portfolio
Projects have been launched not only in Bolivia but also in India, Mozambique, and Nepal. Here, too, the project partners use various technologies to reduce emissions and implement measures that go far beyond climate action to ensure better livelihoods locally in the long term.
Projects in other parts of the world are currently being intensively reviewed and prepared. “We’ve already been able to gain valuable experience over the past few months,” says Magdalena Droppelmann, who heads the Corporate Sustainability department at Dachser. “That happens in the course of working with local partners and during project visits, as well as in collaboration among the partner organizations. Talking with people directly on-site not only helped us develop a better understanding of the local conditions, but also provided key insights for further project planning and implementation.”
The partners have big plans for the coming years. “We’re constantly working to develop existing projects further and to carefully plan and evaluate new, additional initiatives—always with a clear focus on quality and holistic impact,” Simon explains.
He goes on to emphasize that the unwavering objective is to collaborate closely on projects that not only promote climate action, but also strengthen local communities and improve living conditions for children and young people. “The successes we’ve enjoyed so far and our experiences to date confirm that the structures and processes created are sustainable and pave the way for the successful, long-term implementation of further measures,” Simon says.
