RCE North Rift - 2022

The role of the community on Adapting climate change through waste management for livelihood.
Basic Information
Title of project : 
The role of the community on Adapting climate change through waste management for livelihood.
Submitting RCE: 
RCE North Rift
Contributing organization(s) : 
The County Government of TransNzoia
Dajopen Waste Management Project
North Rift RCE
Format of project: 
Powerpoint
Language of project: 
ENGLISH
Date of submission:
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Africa and Middle East
Country: 
Kenya
Location(s): 
Kitale
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Dajopen Waste Management Project,
Maziwa Road
P.O BOX 3109 -30200
Kitale.
Target Audience:
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Kitale is an agricultural town in the North rift , Kenya situated between Mt Elgon and the Cherangani Hills at an elevation of around 1900 m (6200ft asl). the town is the headquarter of TransNzoia County largely known as the Kenyan bread basket for her Agricultural potential and activities both large and small scale especially for Maize, wheat, tea, coffee, horticulture and dairy farming. According to the 2019 National Population and Housing Census the town had a Population of 162,174, as compared to the county population of 990,341. Trans Nzoia County lies approximately between latitudes 00° 52´ and 10° 18´ north of the equator and longitudes 340° 38´ and 350° 23´ east of the great Meridian. The County covers an area of 2,495.6Km2. The County is ranked the 37th in terms of size in relation to the 47 counties. The contributors of environmental degradation in the County include: encroachment on fragile ecosystems, poor agricultural practices, climate change effects, over abstraction of natural resources including sand harvesting and timber logging. Unsanitary solid waste disposal especially open dump site, dilapidated sewerage treatment works, open dumping in wetlands and forests
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The Dajopen Waste Management Project tackles the Socioeconomic and Environmental conditions of vulnerable communities through community based waste management strategy. The strategy is implemented through collection of waste materials for production of recycled items and the training of other actors regarding alternative livelihood opportunities, waste management and organic farming. The Project is improving lives of many small holder farmers by employing a number of environmental social and economic strategies to address poverty and food security.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Rationale: 
We have been able to reach more 165,000 people whom we have trained on waste management and organic farming and eight (22) community groups have been trained on producing a range of recycled products. Also, Uganda (our neighboring country) sent their civic leaders to learn about waste management .The project has implemented several activities some which includes: composting of organic biodegradable waste, making briquettes from dry tree leaves and pulp papers, making simple maize shellers from scrap metals to assist the small scale farmers and especially the women who handle most of the domestic chores in family. The project therefore engaged in intensive awareness creation of the dangers posed by the over accumulated garbage to the health of the residents especially the children who play with garbage not understanding the dangers involved. Secondly, through training, members came to identify innovations that could be used to take advantage of the high population’s rate of waste generation to create this viable enterprise. The impact is well felt on the ground and it can be replicated.
Objectives: 
The objectives is regenerating and the means process of renewal and restoration of Environmental sanity, which has been neglected by the people and the local government in disposing the waste in a good and orderly manner. This has made us to address the excessive use of inorganic fertilizers and chemical pesticides that are applied heavily in the fast degrading agricultural soils in Kenya, by composting the municipal biodegradable waste into organic fertilizer, thus reducing the land fill interventions. The soils have lost structure and texture due to excessive exploitation without sound conservation know how. The local farmers who more often than not keep adding large quantities of inorganic , chemical fertilizers in order to maintain target yields without caring to revitalize the soils for sustainable use.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
By going organic, the compost product is be used to amend the soil by replenishing it with organic matter which improves the overall soil conditions; developing and maintaining structure, improving physical properties, decreasing susceptibility to erosion and encouraging microbial activity. This action has prevented the unpleasant odor and unattractive appearance of piles of uncollected solid waste along streets and in fields, forests and other natural areas, which can discourage tourism and the establishment and/or maintenance of businesses.
Size of academic audience: 
Since we started more than 165,000
Results: 
The Results are the benefit:
The members of the group by getting the dividends from the sales of the organization recycled products. The members also work at the recycling site
The youth, women, street families and men, by getting direct and indirect employment.
The slum dwellers whose environment are healthier and more habitable
Kitale Municipal Council whose cost of waste management and maintenance of landfills and dumping site will has been reduced.
The farmers who benefit from the soil conditioning product that is environmentally friendly and nutrient rich organic fertilizer.
The students from our local and international institutions who do their internships and practical field work at our project as part of their course work in waste management, bio-intensive agriculture (organic farming systems).
The Fauna and Flora also thrives under this clean environment after our intervention.
Lessons learned: 
Dajopen waste Management Project (CBO) has been in forefront in running initiatives aimed at solving the waste menace in Kitale town. For the past 10 years, the organization has been running a one acre temporary waste management site East of the town where it has engaged in waste regeneration research and training, organic fertilizer development, plastic recycling and briquettes making as per links below.Education is key to development.
Key messages: 
Being a community based organization and her membership who are mostly local community members majority of them being women are directly involved in the project and also the direct beneficiaries of the proceeds and outcomes of the project. The project has been able to bring together people from different ethnical, education gender and political backgrounds to work in the common good and future of the community by resolving the waste management puzzle as well as in turning municipal waste into wealth in the town as from the links below.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
Other activities are like training students from RCE INSTITUTES as per below link
https://youtu.be/XYWybAaMvcU
Funding: 
No.

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon WhatsApp Image 2022-10-17 at 1.37.43 PM.jpeg (213.03 KB) Learning how make compost from biodegradable urban waste at Kinondo dumpsite in Kwale, KENYA. Muguro David Ngige
Image icon WhatsApp Image 2022-10-17 at 1.35.32 PM.jpeg (259.92 KB) Ngige leading a tree planting exercise in public school as a way of increasing forest cover Muguro David Ngige
Image icon WhatsApp Image 2022-10-17 at 1.34.11 PM.jpeg (243.57 KB) Training members of the community on how to make compost manure from rural farm waste Muguro David Ngige
Image icon WhatsApp Image 2022-10-17 at 1.36.06 PM.jpeg (277.54 KB) Taking secondary school students on a lesson on how to make organic manure for their school kitchen gardens Muguro David Ngige
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Direct
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Direct
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Direct
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes