World Rivers Day Day 1
The Mathare Police Depot grounds filled with the sound of tents flapping and boots on gravel — not a festival, but something close to one, because any day that puts rivers in the mouth of ordinary people is a kind of celebration. World Rivers Day stretched across the weekend of 20–21 September 2024, and on day one ETCO stood under the Ngong River Community tent with maps, patience, and true stories.
CEO Collince Onyango and Environmental Director Raphael Oduor spent hours with visitors who stopped, curious, sometimes skeptical. They walked people through the Ngong River Regeneration Network’s Community Master Plan Roadmap — not as a glossy promise, but as a sequence of steps: where we clean, how we partner, what we need from government, what we refuse to compromise on when it comes to safety.
Why Zone 2 matters
Zone 2 is a collaboration of individuals, groups, and organisations rooted in Kibera, focused on protecting the Ngong River. Cleanups, waste sorting, awareness — it sounds simple until you realise you are coordinating dozens of voices and one stubborn current of pollution. The tent became a classroom without walls.
If you missed the weekend, you did not miss your chance — follow the network’s updates and join the next action along the bank. Rivers improve when people keep returning after the banners come down.
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.