Day 2 of 3, KEPRO and PAKPRO Ngong Rivers Clean Up
Day two began with the sound of gumboots on stone — teams fanning out along three Ngong stretches where plastic had braided itself into reeds and glass glittered where children play. KEPRO and PAKPRO worked with ETCO, local authorities, and neighbours to lift waste into piles trucks could actually reach.
Every hour someone hauled a sack heavier than yesterday's excuse. Sweat stung; a supervisor whistled to keep tempo; a woman rinsed her hands in a bottle of water she could not spare.
Between loads, talk turned practical: could this waste earn someone a few honest shillings? Could sorting create jobs instead of fires along the bank? Those questions matter in Kibera, where idle hands are not laziness — they are a shortage of openings.
A county officer wiped mud on his trousers and laughed — not because the work was funny, but because laughter is how bodies forgive themselves for another hour.
By late afternoon the holding points looked almost respectable, which is to say dangerous: respectability invites dumping again unless eyes stay open.
We drank warm soda someone had chilled imperfectly and called it celebration — carbonation rising like small hopes.
Success on day two was not a polished report; it was tired people agreeing to return. If you have ideas — or capital — for small recycling trials along this river, contact us. Cleanup clears the ground; work keeps it clear.
Day three waited upstream — same gloves drying on a line, same stubborn plastic pretending it belongs in a river.
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.