Week 7 Children Feeding Program
Mid-week heat does not negotiate. In Nyayo Highrise, when the sun climbs and taps run dry, fetching water becomes a job that steals hours from schoolwork and play — and sometimes puts children in spaces no adult would choose for them. We do not prettify that reality. We name it because ignoring it does not protect anyone.
This week, scarcity bit hard: long queues at water points, a few children sent out with jerrycans who returned with nothing, others caught in ugly bargaining nobody should have to learn that young. On a day like that, a hot meal is not a luxury — it is a small fence around harm. We cook so stomachs stop gnawing, and so young bodies are not drifting alone through the hottest hours looking for the next fix to hunger or thirst.
An hour that changes the shape of a day
When children gather at ETCO — even for an hour or two — there is food, conversation, and eyes on them. That does not solve Nairobi’s water politics, but it can interrupt a pattern: idle heat, empty pockets, risky shortcuts. Joseph (Joe) Tako stood with us on the giving side this week; the ETCO team stood on the cooking and serving side. Together we kept plates moving.
If you want to help beyond a single Saturday, support work that keeps children fed, visible, and busy when the weather — and the economy — turn cruel. Water and dignity belong in the same sentence; until that is true everywhere in Kibera, we will keep showing up with what we have.
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.