Day 3 of 3 KEPRO and PAKPRO Ngong Rivers Clean Up
On the third day along the Ngong River, the work felt familiar in the shoulders — the same bend, lift, drag — but the river never repeats itself. In Mashimoni, at the bridge by Highrise Estate, and out toward Nairobi West, teams moved head to head with the rubbish that catches in bends.
Mid-morning sun turned the water to dull silver; flies rose in clouds from black bags. You do not forget that sound — plastic tearing, someone joking to keep courage up, a child watching from the bank with school shoes in hand.
ETCO keeps notebooks as well as shovels. Each cleanup teaches us what lasts: where informal dumps return, how volunteers tire, which partners stay when the smell gets personal. Sustainability is not a certificate on a wall; it is whether we come back next month when the plastic floats downstream again.
The short brief from day three said little; the river said plenty. We are learning to manage what we have — gloves, time, fuel — so the next push is smarter.
Someone asked what impact means in plain Kibra talk; the answer was a cleaner bend you can point to without lying — and legs that will ache tomorrow.
We packed tools while the city's rush hour pretended nothing had changed — matatus honking, hawkers shouting — but our shoulders knew otherwise.
If you live along these tributaries, help us guard the gains: report dumping, join a sweep, teach a child that a bottle in the ditch becomes everyone's problem at the next rain.
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.