Neloba Ngozire

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact. 

Presently, over 200 youths in eight communities have implemented sustainable projects that we have trained them in, such as eco-friendly kitchen gardens, clean cooking devices for youth to make briquettes, fireless cookers, and household water filters. Additionally, in one of our partner schools, Milimani High School, students developed a sustainable farm after our lesson and our support. The farm is supplying vegetables for the school feeding program. In Marula Primary School in Naivasha, children from our club have come up with gardening skills after learning about healthy soils. As we collaborate with schools and communities, the majority of learners want to participate in our activities due to our unique way of using experiential environmental education, not just lecturing.

With my team of four, I am leading the team in creating learning games and experiences to help children access quality education in low-income areas, since in Kenya environmental science is less taught in primary schools. Most of the learners have become creative and are passing sciences and social studies in our partnering schools.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like? 

I was born to a dad who used to tell me to collect waste at home. It was my solemn duty to make sure that I cleaned the home compound and also watered plants and trees. I developed a love for nature, and this made me choose geography as my favorite subject. Later on, instead of going to study petroleum engineering as my dad desired, I went for BSci in Environmental Education, and I later on secured a job. My learners motivated me so much because of their behavioural change—after we train learners from environmental clubs, many passionate learners will join our eco-champions program. This is a program where learners, individually and with great self-autonomy, lead in environmental conservation matters. I have always wanted to teach and train people about conserving nature and see my target group change their behaviour and attitude. That is exactly what my learners do; they seek to change the world to solve environmental problems and implement solutions like waste management, wildlife conservation, soil health conservation, and sustainable practices at the household level. Therefore, I was inspired by my dad, and my attitude was also changed by learners, to care for nature. I dream of a world where everyone is environmentally cautious and responsible for nature conservation without being pushed, but out of self-will.

How can people learn more about or support your work? 

I am often a speaker for the Mai Foundation, and I have also been on KTN TV to discuss waste management.

People are welcome to donate to our Eden Eco-Champion program to provide materials for projects in households when young eco-champions invent innovative projects like water filters, gardening, and waste management practices. This will help households and communities to grow in terms of environmental conservation. A solution to global problems starts at the household.

People can also work closely with me to help in designing a climate education curriculum that can help schools and communities adopt climate education easily and contextual in Africa.

Sometimes it is difficult to train in low-power areas due to poor teaching aids and no electricity. Therefore, people can also donate books, rechargeable projectors with built-in batteries, and screens. 

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A Little More About Me

What are you happiest doing?
I like teaching and being with children for environmental education. I just like how children get excited about the environmental games we play. It reduces the hierarchy of teacher-learner and makes the learners own their learning and take charge—thus being more like mentor and friend relationship than just an instructor. Gamified learning enhances building a whole child rather than a section.

Where do you feel most at peace and why?
I feel most at peace in the forest because of the quietness, cool breeze, song birds, African cicada singing, and natural growers, especially in Aberdare Forest with water falls.

What is one thing about you that might surprise others?
Something that might surprise others—when people find me playing with children they do not believe that, it is the same me who is serious, they wonder how it is easy for me to connect with kids.