Care for Environment
Morning light catches plastic snagged in reeds along the Ngong River corridor, and the smell of damp soil rises where neighbours have already begun raking debris into sacks. This is not a distant conservation poster — it is work done in boots, with wheelbarrows, by people who live beside the water.
With support from the German Embassy, UN-Habitat, EcoWB, and Power Engineers, ETCO is walking alongside local groups to clean and restore stretches of the river. Community teams focus on their own sections — clearing channels, sorting waste, and testing ideas that turn a grim chore into safer neighbourhoods and small openings for work.
A Saturday that moves more than rubbish
The effort sits inside Nairobi’s wider “Let the Rivers Flow” push by the Nairobi Rivers Commission — a reminder that a river that breathes helps everyone downstream. On 20 November 2023, ETCO hosted a cleanup along Nairobi Dam tributaries in Nyayo Highrise Ward, inviting partners who care about the Ngong River staying healthy enough to support the city’s reservoir.
Along the Ngong, local groups work their own patches — not as strangers to the problem, but as people who know which bend traps plastic after rain and which footpaths children use on the way to school. That local focus is how fresh ideas show up: better sorting, safer burning where it must happen, odd jobs for youth who need a day’s pay, and a cleaner channel for the next person walking downstream.
Rivers do not fix themselves behind desks. If you want cleaner channels before the next heavy rain, join the next community sweep — gloves on, sleeves rolled, room for one more pair of hands.
From Participation to Agency: ETCO at the SAIIA Youth Programming Innovation Lab
Last week, ETCO represented Kibra at the SAIIA Youth Programming Innovation Lab in Nairobi — where the real question wasn't youth participation, but youth agency. Here's what that means for our nine programmes, and an honest look at what it takes to build sustainably as a volunteer-run organisation.
Creating Impact, Building a Better Tomorrow
At ETCO, we're committed to creating lasting positive impact by keeping our environment safe and clean while creating meaningful employment opportunities for our communities. Through innovation and strategic partnerships with like-minded stakeholders, we're working together to achieve shared goals that drive sustainable development. We're also conducting a comprehensive economic survey to better understand the project's returns, impact, and scalability—ensuring every step we take is informed, effective, and built for long-term success.
Planning Meeting with PSN - Waste Management Project
Today's ETCO had logistical planning meeting at PSN Office to discuss the upcoming waste management project... Good things take time.