Kibera Rugby Academy - Junior Rugby
Kibera hums with football boots and volleyball nets, but rugby has always been the harder road — too far to travel, too expensive to dream on casually.
So we started closer to home. Kibera Rugby Academy is not only about tackles and passes; it is about integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect — the values that keep a sport from becoming noise.
Rugby welcomes bodies of different sizes and ages; that is part of its beauty. Our job is to teach children early that strength without respect is just weight.
On muddy ground, a pass is a promise. We run drills until boots lose their shine, then remind players that the game continues off the pitch — at home, in school corridors, in how you speak to your sister when you are tired.
Parents watch from the sideline with folded arms and quiet pride. They know what a free afternoon costs; they also know what a wasted afternoon costs. Rugby gives language to discipline — but language still needs calories.
Shirts, a visit, and an honest gap
It was a good week: Tatiana and her friends sent training T‑shirts — bright fabric that makes a child stand taller before the ball is even passed. Then we welcomed Sarah from the Kenya Rugby Union, a reminder that the national game is watching grassroots pitches too.
Here is the truth we do not sugarcoat: rugby burns fuel. After training, young athletes need a meal that matches the sweat — ugali, beans, something solid. Right now, that post-training plate is our tightest line. If you can help with food or a small M‑PESA top‑up for ingredients, you will be feeding more than hunger; you will be feeding commitment.
Local clubs and well-wishers sometimes share balls and cones; we are asking for the unglamorous line in the budget — beans by the kilo, greens, fruit when we can afford it — so a child does not choose between a tackle and tomorrow’s energy.
Engaging Children through Feeding Program
Thanks to Chris and Jayne, ETCO had a warm feeding program for children at our new office—bringing joy, a good meal, and community together in Kibera.
Project Site Visit by Rotary Club of IPSWICH (USA) and Kikuyu (Kenya)
It was a great and engaging day of partnership and learning as we hosted the International Rotary Club of IPSWICH team, led by Environmental Lawyer Chris and his wife, Jane, Former President of Rotary Club of Kikuyu Hon. George Ngotho and Rotarian Yumbya for a visit to our project implementation sites. The visit provided an opportunity to review the project areas on the ground, discuss implementation priorities, and strengthen our shared commitment to sustainable environmental and community development. We also had the opportunity to visit the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC), where we were hosted by Commissioner Dr. Loice Kipkorir, a member of the Ngong River Committee. We explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration and align our work with the Nairobi Rivers Commission's Restoration Framework.
Community Capacity Building Training
We are currently participating in the ongoing PROVE (Public Space Governance Research, Observation, Validation and Experimentation) Pilot Programme, a four-month initiative by Public Space Networks (PSN) bringing together 11 community groups from Kamukunji and Korogocho. The programme focuses on strengthening community organizations’ capacity to manage, protect and improve public spaces as well as restoring rivers and it's ecosystems. The ongoing capacity-building training is helping CBOs and community organizations better understand the connection between public spaces, river restoration and ecosystem conservation, while exploring practical approaches and stronger collaboration among communities, government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders.