En-Courage

WHAT WE DO

Daima Campaign

Daima is a coalition of civic actors who have joined together to advocate for the protection of green spaces across urban centers in Kenya. The focus of the Daima (Swahili for "forever”) campaign is to develop a civic wide appreciation for the value of green spaces in urban centers for wider society. Since this valuable patrimony needs to be preserved for future generations, a key plank of this campaign is to nurture champions of green spaces as advocates to protect Kenya’s vital assets. The Wangari Mathaai Foundation, as a key stakeholder within this consortium, is an advocate of developing and creating space for youth voices to champion a cause that impacts what kind of world they will live in.

Our objective as part of this coalition is to provide a platform for young people to take action and demonstrate their leadership and courage by standing up for the protection and shaping of all green spaces.

The Daima Campaign’s central goal is to enhance appreciation and protection of green spaces. The key focus of our communication strategy is to build an understanding of the importance of these valuable assets. This is why you need to care;

  1. Most of our cities and mostly Nairobi are fast becoming a concrete jungle with green spaces disappearing and shrinking at an alarming rate. We lose acres of green spaces to development, encroachment, degradation or grabbing of public green spaces.
  2. The existing or emerging threats and pressures on our green spaces are only expected to intensify if we do to act now to preserve and stand up for our green spaces.
  3. Green spaces are a good indicator of overall ecological health of the ecosystem, they are a key weapon in the fight against the climate crisis: Preserving green spaces will prevent additional emissions.
  4. Sparse green spaces will make it harder for us to stay healthy; In a pandemic like the ongoing COVID19, we need green spaces more than ever. The pollution in our cities means poor air quality and even soaring rates of respiratory diseases which are underlying health conditions that increase the severity of COVID19.

Youth Cafes

The Youth Café platform was established to understand the values of Kenyan youth and issues they are confronting. Through this process, WMF introduces the character attributes of Wangari Maathai and how her leadership style can be applied to overcome challenges at a community and personal level. By convening leaders and youth to discuss and debate issues, then create solutions to address their problems. Youth learn self-determinism, courage, and leadership. The WMF Youth Cafés allow us to gain invaluable insight into youth priorities and concerns and solutions.

Unsunghero Campaign

The UnsungHero is a campaign by the Wangari Maathai Foundation (WMF), under the Encourage Leadership Initiative. The five-month campaign focuses on the “Power of One”. Our theory of change is based on the principle that each person can make a contribution, however small, and be an agent for change in their community. The campaign amplifies the work of young people helping their communities through their acts of courage, resilience, empathy and integrity. The Foundation is supporting this cohort of winners by amplifying their advocacy, helping them build knowledge networks and mentorship.

Our Impact:

  • Improved social well-being of youth by showcasing stories of change agents.
  • Establishing networks of courageous individuals, who will spur one another towards social transformation.
  • Improve the well-being of our cohort by equipping them with soft skills that will make them adaptable in the market place and in the long term increase their economic capacity while stemming the ethical degeneration in society.