Support social & environmental work across Kenya!
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Last summer, we visited Kenya after 14 years away. As well as seeing friends, spending time with family and visiting Masai Mara, Nairobi and Mombasa, we connected with a number of social, educational and environmental projects across the country to learn about the amazing work they're doing. They included:
- Bombolulu Workshops & Cultural Centre - a cultural centre running workshops and providing accommodation to rehabilitate people with disabilities
- Challenge Aid Africa - a charity partnering with local organisations to create 'Schools of Hope' which empower children and young people, such as with the amazing Mathare Social Justice Centre: an initiative by young members of the community to promote social justice in Mathare
- Close the Gap Hub - an innovative social enterprise restoring and reusing unwanted tech and running educational and business incubator programmes
- Green Belt Movement - an extraordinary organisation championing the environment, employment and human rights, founded by Professor Wangari Maathai
- Humanure Kenya - a creative enterprise using hot composting to turn faeces and urine into compost
- Kito International - a non-profit social enterprise giving street children the opportunity to work their way out of poverty and stay off the streets
- Maisha Yangu - a community-based organisation working with children and youth in Nairobi's slums
- Oasis - an organisation which supports women's economic independence and that of the wider community, through social enterprise
- Safi Organics - a circular economy enterprise producing award-winning organic fertilizer from leftover rice husks, and supporting rural farmers
- Wasafiri Consulting - a consultancy focused on systems change across peace & inclusion, food and climate & nature
We were hugely inspired and grateful for the people we met:
- Wiclif from Kito, who gave his time to introduce us to his work but also the inspiring work of Bukie from Maisha Yangu, Irene and her entrepreneurial women at Oasis and a community clinic
- Timothy, Laurent and Francesca from Close the Gap Hub - both their more central hub as well as their warehouse - and got us thinking about where all of our old hardware goes (often to landfill)
- Sophia from ChallengeAid, who introduced us to the incredible team, young people and dancers from MSJC - who put fire in our bellies and t-shirts on our backs
- Wambui and Boniface from Green Belt Movement, who shared with us the story of the organisation, taught us about the relationship between ecology, employment, human rights and the environment, and reminded us of the power of resistance
- Social entrepreneurs Joyce and Samson, who are finding ways to reuse or recycle waste products to create a more sustainable, prosperous society - and Claudia, who as part of Wasafiri is working with partners to make a difference at scale
Over the next 12 months, we five Perkinses want to raise £5,000 for a range of the organisations we visited and the causes they're championing - and to highlight the vital work they are doing. The money will go to a mix of core costs and overheads, equipment and salaries: it'll be for each charity to determine how best to use the funds.
If you'd like to find out more, please get in touch - we'd love to talk to you about what we've learnt, what we're doing and how you can get involved.
Co-organizers (2)
Paul Perkins
Organizer
England
Lesley Perkins
Co-organizer