Day 2 (Site Visit, Capacity building and partners' meetings)
The second morning of our partner week began in a training room, not on the riverbank. Care Kenya had set the tone: how households share chores matters if families are to stay steady when money is tight and days are long.
For ETCO, it was the kind of session that sounds simple until you sit with it. Who carries water? Who minds the children? Who rests? Our team listened because the answers shape how we show up in homes across Kibera — not only as an environmental organisation, but as neighbours.
Partners seeing the whole picture
EcoWB and Power Engineers sat in with us. They know us for trees and soil and water; this was a chance to see the human scaffolding behind the work — the relationships that keep programmes honest when grants end and the rains fail.
Later we left the chairs behind. At the Motoine River, where it meets the dam system, we walked the line between settlement and catchment. The sound of water over concrete and plastic reminded us why we keep returning: a river is never only geography; it is a ledger of what a city dumps upstream.
When night came, the team gathered for an online call with Rotary Club — Nairobi Connect. On screen, President Lilian Momanyi and her members leaned in. Another institution choosing the long work of restoring the dam and its tributaries, not a one-off photo.
If you have walked this journey with us — through training rooms, muddy banks, or late calls — thank you. Rivers recover when people keep showing up. Stay close: the next site day will need volunteers, clarity, and neighbours who refuse to look away.
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.