Grateful for the far we've come
Some Saturdays we run out of spoons before we run out of children. The feeding programme has become that kind of heartbeat — loud pots, quiet prayers, line stretching past the gate.
We do not pretend the road has been smooth. Ingredients spike overnight; a cooker fails; rain turns the lane to soup. Still the queue forms, because hunger does not negotiate.
We are grateful. Grateful for volunteers who miss Premier League kickoff to chop cabbage; for donors who send M-PESA when their own budgets are tight; for partners who sign contracts and then show up in person to prove they meant the ink.
Faith, for many of us, is not an escape from Kibera; it is the reason we stay faithful to Kibera — believing children deserve more than survival.
We remember the Saturdays when rice ran out before the line did — faces we had to turn away with a voucher and a promise. Those days sit in the stomach of this work; they are why we refuse to romanticise hunger.
Still, the pots return. So do the aunties who know exactly how much salt the stew needs when funds are short — wisdom no spreadsheet captures.
If you have given before, consider a monthly gift so we can plan beyond next week. If you have never given, try one Saturday of your time. The far we have come is measured in bowls, not slogans — and we are only halfway home.
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.