Increased Holiday demand for ETCO
The queue at the ETCO office stretched further than usual — more sandals in the dust, more voices overlapping, more empty bowls waiting. Schools had shut for a two-month holiday, and the children’s feeding programme suddenly carried the weight of long empty mornings.
That surge is both encouragement and pressure. It says families trust the space; it also means pots must stretch and shopping lists grow when household budgets are already tight. ETCO serves not only children — youth and elders also find a plate here — so a spike in numbers touches every part of the kitchen plan.
Volunteers notice it in the arithmetic: more cups, more firewood, more trips to the tap, more voices asking politely if seconds are possible. We do not turn people away lightly — we adjust, we borrow recipes that stretch, we phone a donor who once said “call when it spikes.” But honesty matters: a long holiday without school meals shifts hunger from the classroom to the lane.
Holiday hunger is quiet. It does not arrive with headlines. It arrives when a guardian calculates whether today’s KSh can cover ugali and greens, or whether the children will eat plain tea and sleep hungry.
If you are looking for a practical way to help through the break, fund a sack of maize, send vegetables, or walk with us on a Saturday. The line is longer; the commitment has to match.
We will keep posting what we need week to week — sometimes cooking oil, sometimes beans, sometimes cash for transport. Holiday months test every kitchen; help us keep the pot honest.
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.