Week 10 - Children Feeding Program
By mid-morning on Saturday, the line outside ETCO already snakes past the usual mark. You would expect the crowd to thin once schools reopen — uniforms on weekdays, homework in the evening — but the numbers keep climbing anyway. Children show up in twos and threes, some still dusty from play, others quiet with hunger that does not follow a school calendar.
We dish githeri and ugali the same way we always have: one plate at a time, no favouritism, no sermon — just the steady work of making sure nobody leaves on an empty stomach. On a hot day the steam rises from the pots and mixes with dust from the path; someone jokes, someone prays under their breath, and the queue inches forward.
Every plate matters
We are honest: we do not always know whether a child missed breakfast, skipped lunch, or simply heard from a friend that Saturday at ETCO means a full meal. What we do know is that the need does not pause because term time has started. Because supporters send what they can — sometimes via M-PESA, sometimes through a friend who passes by with sacks of maize — we can keep adjusting pots and portions instead of turning young people away.
If you have walked with us before, thank you. If you can chip in again this week, you are not buying a slogan — you are buying time, heat, and enough food that a child can sit down, eat, and walk home with a little more strength for whatever Monday brings.
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.