ETCO THEATRE
Actors carry feelings the way porters carry water — carefully, in public, where strangers can choose to look away or learn. Theatre is education dressed as entertainment.
We want to nurture young talent in theatre arts and film, not as a luxury for Nairobi’s uptown stages, but as a craft rooted in Kibera’s stories.
Our survey still echoes: roughly 98% of formal performance spaces sit in the capital’s polished halls and universities — rarely in informal settlements. Talent is everywhere; access is not.
We began with street theatre — short plays on corners, crowds gathering like firelight. Interest swelled. Now we hire rehearsal space when we can, and dream of our own hall: a room with proper lights, safe wiring, seats for grandparents, storage for costumes that smell of sweat and hope.
Between scenes, actors become neighbours again — selling mandazi, fixing a shoe, arguing about football scores. That split identity is not failure; it is honesty. A stage gives the argument a script.
Film and theatre training is also technical: microphones that do not squeal, lights that flatter faces instead of bleaching them, cameras that do not eat memory cards mid-take. We learn in borrowed rooms because the alternative is silence.
The stage we are building
A permanent theatre would not only inspire; it could pay artists, train technicians, host film nights for teenagers who need more than a phone screen. If you work in lighting, sound, or set design, we welcome your eye. If you can fund rent for a season, we will put tickets within reach of neighbours.
If you have ever stood in a polished auditorium in Nairobi and wondered where the settlement stories went — they are here, rehearsing on borrowed time. Help us build the room they deserve.
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.
High Level NRC & Development Partners Meeting
Representing the Ngong River Regeneration Network, I'm having the privilege of attending a high-level breakfast meeting convened by the Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) in collaboration with the Kenya Permanent Mission to UN-Habitat. The meeting has brought together Development Partners, Government Agencies, Private Sector representatives, and Community representatives to deliberate on the restoration and sustainable management of Nairobi’s rivers.