Week 18 - Scouting Week.
Week 18 arrived with whistles and chalk lines — a football tournament meant to sharpen young legs and honest competition, and to scout talent that too often hides in plain sight because nobody funds boots or training, even when the skill is obvious from the first touch, the way a body leans before the brain catches up.
Between matches, we did what we always do when the field is full: we fed children and handed out stationery — pencils, rubbers, exercise books — small objects that change a Monday at school. The pitch is loud; the classroom is where the quiet work continues, page by page, in ink that smudges if you rush.
ETCO-Kenya keeps threading environment, education, sport, arts, and business innovation into one neighbourhood story — not because life here is neat, but because young people do not live single-issue lives. Crime and substance abuse shrink where time is spoken for and skills are practised in daylight, with coaches and mentors who return, week after week, until a season becomes a habit.
Join us through donation, partnership, or sponsorship — jerseys, meals, transport for a team, or a coach’s stipend.
A goalkeeper dove and came up brown to the elbows; a girl tucked a new pencil behind her ear like a trophy before she ran back to the sideline. Talent is not rare here — opportunity is.
Tag us if you share the week online, but more importantly, message us if you want receipts and real names for what your support did on the ground.
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.