Day of an African Child 2023
On 16 June, colour spilled across a field — school uniforms from roughly sixteen schools, banners snapping, a sound system testing bass before the speeches. ETCO stood with Greencard Mtaani, Women Network, Anointed Voice for the Needy, SPEC, and Janris Foundation to mark the Day of the African Child.
More than 2,000 children took part — a number that sounds abstract until you see the queue for food stretching past the goalposts. We talked rights in a year when “online” is both classroom and danger: privacy, bullying, scams that sound like opportunity.
Children painted trees into existence and planted real ones beside them. Separate circles for girls and boys tackled questions adults often avoid. Games turned competitive in the healthy way; football finals ended with jerseys, balls, and a trophy that caught the sun.
A continent’s promise, one city’s afternoon
The day belongs to Africa in calendar and spirit; we were proud to share the work. If you want to sponsor child-rights education or the next big community sports day, reach out via etco-kenya.org — we will connect you to the team that runs logistics without losing joy.
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.