Seeking for opportunities
Plastic chairs scraped concrete as youth leaders from Nyayo Highrise, Mugumu-ini, Karen, South C, and Nairobi West found places in the circle. Under ETCO’s umbrella, they had come to speak with Hon. Oduk Oginga Oduk about something practical: how young people across Lang’ata Constituency can move from good intentions to programmes that last — not one-off events, but work that pays tomorrow’s rent.
Hon. Oduk did not pretend that “start small” is enough without cash on the table. He spoke plainly about seed money — grants or loans — as the difference between an idea sketched on paper and a stall that opens. He pushed for youth to stay in groups, not because unity sounds nice in a speech, but because lenders and partners look for teams that can account for every KSh.
He also promised to use his networks where he can — introductions, phone numbers, doors opened a crack for ideas that are serious and sustainable. The room did not empty out into instant contracts; real life is slower than that. But a morning of honest questions beats another month of guessing alone.
If you mentor young entrepreneurs, fund small grants, or know a programme that matches skills with start-up capital, reach out. Youth are not “the future” in a poster sense — they are the ones balancing M-PESA ledgers today.
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.