Welcoming Linda Gitau (Keke) to ETCO & Feeding Program.
On 25 May, Linda Gitau — Keke to friends — stepped into our Saturday chaos with board-member eyes and neighbour warmth. She joins ETCO as Coordinator for Charity Events; this was her first close look at what that title will mean on the ground.
Board work can live in minutes and logos; Keke stood where minutes cannot — where sauce spills on concrete and gratitude arrives without a letterhead.
With Uebert Angel Foundation and Good News Church alongside us, we served over 300 people from toddlers to elders. Plates clattered; someone's grandmother got an extra chapati wrapped in foil for the walk home.
UAF's SE Nairobi branch carried weight as usual — coordination, resources, presence. Partnerships work when titles shrink and spoons grow.
Children pressed close to see whether the visitor's shoes would survive the mud; they did, but only because Keke stepped where we stepped — slowly, carefully, like someone who intends to return.
She asked questions we like — the practical kind — about cost per plate, time to boil, where mothers wait when the line doubles back. Answers that keep charity from becoming theatre.
Keke, karibu tena. To everyone reading: we still need hands for next Saturday — message us if you can cook, serve, or simply hold a baby while a mother eats.
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.