ETCO's Saturday Children Feeding Program
Saturday smells like onions and firewood outside our kitchen corner. By mid-morning, children know the drill: wash hands, take a plate, find a seat on a bench that wobbles but holds.
The feeding programme is our weekly answer to a quiet crisis — kids who might otherwise sip black tea and call it breakfast. We cook something hot, something filling, something that carries them through play and study until evening ugali at home.
We are honest about the gaps: some weeks beans cost more than expected; some weeks rain keeps volunteers home. Still the pots go on, because empty pots echo louder than excuses.
More than a meal
Volunteers chop, stir, and serve alongside aunties from the neighbourhood. Someone keeps the M-PESA line for supplies straight; someone else makes sure the shy child at the back gets a second helping.
You learn names you did not plan to learn. You notice who eats fast and who saves half for a sibling who is still in school. That is not data for a donor deck; it is the reason we keep the programme human.
When the last plate is washed and the fire dies to embers, the lane feels wider for an hour — as if the whole neighbourhood exhaled at once.
If you are looking for a practical way to stand with Kibera's children, this is it. Donate food or funds, or come serve with us — we will find you gloves, a ladle, and plenty of reasons to smile.
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.