By Joan Tonui
Joan Tonui
I found the Green Town Initiative about one and a half years ago, based in Bomet County. Its main objective is to inspire healthier living through environmental conservation. We do this through the following programs, Green Champions, River guardians, and Green spaces in town.
GTI at work
The Green champion is mainly focused on nurturing young people to become champions of a healthy, sustainable environment-targeting school-going children.
The River Guardians Programme: Conservation of rivers by promoting healthy, sustainable livelihoods-targeting young men and women.
Green Spaces in Towns: Connecting people to nature and healthy sustainable towns.
My motivation
Our health is highly dependent on the surrounding in which we live in, meaning, for us to have healthy lives, we have to ensure that the air we breathe in is fresh, the water we drink is clean and safe and our surrounding is clean. This is my motivation to start the Green Towns Initiative (GTI), a community-based organization (CBO) legally registered under the Non-Governmental section in Kenya.
Impact of our work
Since 2018 we have recruited 100 Green champions, established 5 Green Champions Clubs and Nurseries, recruited 50 River guardians, and planted 2000 Indigenous Trees.
Significant change as a result of my work
Seeing Green Champions hold their seedlings while others replicate tree planting and nurturing at their homes.
As a result of my engagements, I have been selected as a 2020 EE 30 under 30 by The North American Association for Environmental Education, an award that recognizes young leaders using environmental education to spark positive change around the world, and I’m thrilled to join this inspiring community.
Challenges
The most challenging part of the conservation industry is financial support for project implementation. For a conservation activity to be successful, funds are required. There are inadequate resources available to undertake a conservation activity.
My message..
Conserving the environment isn’t doing a favour to the environment or the government but for you. Your health is dependent on the surrounding environment.
More on Women in Conservation HERE
