The recent Roots & Shoots Exchange Program in Takaungu and Chonyi brought together environmental champions, community leaders, educators, and young people from Kenya and Tanzania for a meaningful experience centered on sustainability, learning, and collaboration.
Tuungane CBO was proudly represented by our Roots & Shoots Matron, Diana Abucheli, alongside club leaders and members from Young Life and Langoni within Kilifi North Sub-county. The exchange provided an opportunity for participants to tour Mazingira Park as well as the Roots & Shoots groups in Takaungu and Chonyi, where they explored practical environmental initiatives transforming local communities.
Throughout the visit, participants had the opportunity to learn and exchange knowledge on practical environmental conservation and sustainability initiatives including kitchen gardening, solar milling, beekeeping, smart farming, and biodiversity conservation. These activities demonstrated how communities can embrace climate-smart practices and ecopreneurship to protect the environment while also creating sustainable livelihood opportunities.
The exchange highlighted the growing importance of climate-smart innovations in creating sustainable livelihoods while protecting the environment. Participants engaged in conversations around how communities can adapt to climate challenges through local solutions that promote both economic growth and environmental conservation.
For Tuungane CBO, the exchange was also a powerful reminder of the importance of cross-border collaboration in addressing environmental challenges affecting communities across Africa.
Speaking after the exchange, Tuungane Roots & Shoots Matron; Diana Abucheli reflected on the experience with great enthusiasm:
“It was inspiring to interact and exchange ideas with the team from Tanzania. Seeing different communities embracing environmental conservation and climate-smart practices reminded me that climate action is a shared responsibility. I am passionate about empowering communities, especially young people, to become champions of environmental protection while also creating sustainable opportunities for themselves.”
Through the COSME Project, implemented by Tuungane CBO in partnership with Plan International and the Jane Goodall Institute, the organization has so far trained 50 Roots & Shoots club members who are championing care for the environment, humanity, and animals within their communities.
As communities continue to face the realities of climate change, initiatives such as the Roots & Shoots Exchange Program are creating spaces for learning, innovation, and partnerships that inspire collective action toward a greener and more sustainable future.