Launch of the Ramdularie Bissram Climate Justice Fund

29th September, 2025

© Climate Rights & Justice International

The Ramdularie Bissram Climate Justice fund, was set up to raise funds to enable the poorest most vulnerable and marginalized communities have access to justice. The fund was set up in dedication to the late maternal grandmother of CRJI's Co-Founder and President, Nesha Abiraj.

The name "Ramdularie" means beloved of the Divine and "Bissram" means peace. According to Nesha, these are traits which her late grandmother embodied and instilled in all of her children and grandchildren. Ramdularie was the descendant of East Indian Indentured Laborers brought to the Caribbean to work under the British Indentureship system, following the end of slavery. She grew up in a very remote and rural area, with very little means and without any of the comforts most of us take for granted such as electricity, running water, or a washer/dryer, refrigerator or a stove or even a phone.

Ramdularie lost her husband far too young, leaving her to raise their seven children as a single mother. Her late husband died at a time, when men were still considered the breadwinners in society, but even in the depths of grief, loss and tragedy, she found a way to successfully raise her children and grandchildren. She not only worked under the arduous conditions of agriculture in the field, but she also continued bearing the household responsibilities and somehow managed to continue to be the best mother to her children. As a testament to her success, she became the mother and grandmother of first generation, teachers, accountants, lawyers, doctors, information technology specialists, agriculture, forestry and nature conservationists and entrepreneurs.

Ramdularie lived in a time when, speaking about one's struggles or pain was not an option. Perhaps one of her greatest strengths lay in her ability to bear her struggles silently and alone, and still have the strength to be a mother, a laborer and an active member of her community. Her home was a safe haven to anyone who needed shelter or a warm meal. It was also a place where children in her community could safely learn the art of traditional Indian dance. She never sought anything in return for her kindness to those in her community. Her actions were the very definition of what it means to selflessly serve humanity.

Nesha describes her grandmother as one who never failed to stand up against injustice and also as someone who advocated fiercely for the safety and protection of her children and later her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She never wanted her children or anyone in her community to ever have to suffer in the ways she had. It is her commitment to justice and her track record of speaking out against injustice, which inspired the creation of this fund. Her life is a testament to the fact that even in the face of adversity and the most trying circumstances, you can overcome any challenge.

Today it is the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalized communities that are bearing the worst consequences of the climate crisis. Despite being among the least responsible for the climate crisis, they face significant barriers to accessing climate justice including but not limited to socioeconomic, legal, inadequate law and policies and insufficient information about their legal rights to seek justice. It is their lives that are being upended, and it is their rights that are being undermined yet, they remain without recourse to justice against the world’s worst polluters.

Far too many generations have died already without ever having access to climate justice against the world’s largest polluters. Millions have been ravaged by climate related illnesses and millions have been forcibly displaced. When the displaced try to seek refuge in countries that are most responsible for the climate crisis, they are met with hate and discrimination, as a result of the consequences of actions they had nothing to do with. Where is their right to justice?

You can help change that today, by donating to the Ramdularie Bissram climate justice fund.

“When our laws align themselves to equality and justice, then we will have true peace in this world.” Martin Luther King Jr.