Ocean Heroes Network

Where: Kisumu, Kenya?

Solutions:?Education and advocacy, Reduction in pollution, Involvement of local communities and indigenous peoples?

Bring Back Lake Victoria?campaign?seeks to eradicate plastic pollution in Lake Victoria by:??

Creating awareness and sensitizing people on dangers of plastic pollution?
Research and data collection to help establish extent of plastic pollution??
Using technology to make data collection and monitoring more efficient?
Media outreach?
Youth empowerment?
Lobbying for implementation of existing extended producer responsibility laws and enactment of stiffer?penalties?
Innovation in terms of products made from recyclable plastic??
Studying and applying indigenous knowledge that helped preserve lake and marine life in ages past.?
Creating a sense of ownership, stewardship, heritage, and responsibility for the Lake in every Kenyan? citizen??
?Lobbying for relevant environmental education to be added to the school syllabus?
Bringing together all stakeholders in the Lake to form a network. A network of problem-solvers?

The?campaign?has?reached: the?Usoma?community- on the shores of the Lake; the?Kanyamedha?community- upstream, Dunga community across the lake; youth clubs (Kisumu Bike Club, Kisumu Environmental Champions) Kenya Red Cross, environmentalists, naturalists, and companies that operate along the Nkrumah road shoreline of the Lake (Coca Cola, Kenya Pipeline Company, United Millers Ltd, Multiple?Hauliers, Total Kisumu Depot), NGOs, INGOs (Safe Water and AIDS Project, the East African Community Lake Victoria Basin Commission) and Government Institutions (County Government of Kisumu, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, National Environment Management Authority, Kenya Fisheries Service). At?their?International Coastal Cleanup day on 19th September 2020 and?their?December 12th, 2020 Super cleanup, together with local beach cleanups in?Usoma?and Dunga?they?have reached well over 1000 people directly.?

They?have gotten companies, NGOs, INGOs, Government agencies, youth groups, and local communities within Kisumu to realize there is an urgent need to address plastic pollution and?make the?efforts in addressing plastic pollution?more cohesive. This led to the signing of a local agreement with KMFRI to spearhead efforts aimed at tackling plastic pollution. The agreement was signed by?their?school Director and the KMFRI CEO on behalf of all interested organizations.?They?have sensitized people and communities on plastic pollution. Some members of the Usoma?community have become so passionate having learnt about the dangers plastic pollution portends to their health and well-being. They are sensitizing other community members at every opportunity.?

Some of the obstacles faced:?

Setting out to mitigate the effects of plastic pollution by setting up recycling plant within community to having initial plans evolve so much as?they?come face to face with different challenges on the ground forcing?them?back to the drawing board.??
Careless disposal of waste and a distinct lack of awareness on negative impact of?their?actions??
Not everyone who comes on board shares?their?vision resulting in frequent clashes of opinion on best way forward.??
Investing in opportunists and joyriders costing?them?invaluable time.??
Organizational politics within participating organizations slowing down progress.??

They?are overcoming these challenges by consulting widely and building consensus.?They?have chosen to be persistent, flexible, and open to learning but also being firm, solutions-oriented and results-oriented.?They have?learned?that it��s good to be open-minded and willing to learn when starting a project.?They always make sure that?they?are on the same page with everyone involved when starting a project-?they?must share a vision. When sensitizing people, bring it down to their level and show them how it connects to them.?

Photos provided by?Millicent Muchilwa and?Dismus Kosieny

Disclaimer:?These stories are submitted by Civil Society Organizations from around the world. Information provided on the webpage is self-reported. 51�Թ� does not take responsibility for the accuracy or reliability of the information provided by any information provider.?