Environmental Awareness Programme
Targeting School Children
An environmental awareness and cleanup project, targeting school children and communities living around Lake Naivasha, has been launched courtesy of Imarisha Naivasha and the Elsamere Centre for Education in Sustainability.
Dubbed the “Lake Naivasha Basin Schools Environmental Outreach and Cleanup Programme”, the one year project seeks to impart knowledge and skills on environmental protection and solid waste management among children and local communities through sponsored cleanups of shopping centres and residential areas within the Basin.
“Young minds are very impressionable and that is why it is important for us to reach out to them with the message of environmental protection because they are the future custodians of the environment,” Susan, an Education Officer at Elsamere, Said
The theme of the project is “clean environment, healthy lives.” The organizers chose Kamere village as a launching pad for the project. The event attracted hundreds of participants including learners from four different schools, representatives from Non Governmental Organizations, government agencies, private businesses, local authorities and community based organizations. Over 200 pupils drawn from Sher Academy, Sher Moi School, Maua primary school and Mvuke primary schools attended the event which was funded by Imarisha. KenGen and Finlays donated trucks which were used to transport the collected waste.
Various stakeholders like KenGen, Elsamere, NEMA, Finlays and Kwa- Muhia Environmental Group were ably represented. Kongoni Assistant County Commissioner, Mr. John Victor Opondo and Hells Gate location Assistant Chief represented the Nakuru County Government.
The Naivasha sub-county environment officer Mr. Sammy Ngigi was also in attendance.
Speaking during the event, Mr. Opondo pledged his support to the project, saying that it would benefit the community and commended Imarisha Naivasha and Elsamere for their great work as sponsors.
“We know Imarisha has done a good job in Kwa Muhia and seeing them here is therefore reassuring. Kamere will now be a different place free of uncollected garbage thanks to this project. We would like to see this replicated in other villages as well,” he said. Floriculture