Goodness of partnership
On 29 June, the yard filled the way a church fills on a wedding day — not with flowers, but with people. More than 380 neighbours lined up: toddlers on hips, teenagers in school sweaters, mzee in a warm coat even though Nairobi sun was doing its best.
The queue snaked past motorcycles and washing lines — a living map of Kibra, young and old leaning on each other because standing still for long hurts the knees.
ETCO, the Uebert Angel Foundation, and Good News Church set the tables. UAF's SE Nairobi branch carried a heavy share of the load, and we felt it — in bags of food, in transport, in the calm voice that says, we are still here.
Feeding is never only calories. It is a mother who can walk home without calculating every coin. It is a grandfather who gets tea with his bread. It is proof that the city has not forgotten Kibra.
Someone hummed a gospel chorus while stacking empty crates; someone else argued gently about whether to add an extra sack of maize next week. Ordinary debates — the sound of people planning beyond survival.
Rain threatened once; we prayed it would hold until the last sack left the yard — not because we fear water, but because cardboard boxes and hungry queues do not mix.
We are grateful, and we are hungry for more Saturdays like this — not because hunger is good, but because love must become habit. If your church, company, or family wants to sponsor a week, reach out. We will put names and faces to every shilling.
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.