Naomi Nancy (Eldoret, Kenya)

Growing up, I always felt different. Responsible for the choices that my siblings and friends made. Being a firstborn instills that urge to take care of those around you. The environment felt like a special part that needs special care and attention. I would pause to look at the trees and nature around me and I would be filled with a sense of calm and serenity. My passion for nurturing and caring for the environment grew with me. In High School, I participated in all the tree-planting campaigns and competitions both in school and in my village and planted flowers around our house.

Once I became a teacher, I was able to do far more than I could achieve on my own. I started Amani (Peace) Club for the girls at Bishop Sulumeti Girls High School. The Club dealt with establishing peace, mainly through guidance and counseling, and environmental conservation.

It is through Tree-planting that I was recognized by Spedvak and appointed Ambassador for clean environment. I organized the cleaning of dumped waste, and planting of more than 10 million trees around Kenya, which led to winning the Go Green award for planting trees in schools, prisons, and the community at large.

I visit more schools to mentor students and encourage them to conserve the environment by planting more trees. During the mentorship, I identify needy students and organize for sponsors so that they may be able to get proper education without the constant strain of having to think about finances. I have found donors, through the Inua Dada Foundation, who provide free sanitary towels for all girls to ensure their comfortable stay in school.

One of my current projects is training women in Kakamega County on using clean energy by making briquettes. A lot of environmental pollution comes from using fuels that emit toxic gases which poison the environment and destroy the ozone layer. Using briquettes does not release these harmful gases and is thus safe and environmentally friendly. My goal is to expand my training to other counties and countries at large.

In addition to that, working with Lions Kenya and other organizations, I provide wheelchairs to people with disabilities. I target the financially unstable so that they can be able to move with ease and go about their daily routines.

My strength in networking has enabled me to approach even the hardest tasks to provide solutions through different networks. Everyone can and should participate in taking care of the environment. It is only fair that we give back to mother nature after all she does for us.