PAKPRO Kenya and the Kenya Scouts Association launched a partnership on 17 September to provide environmental education and packaging-recovery activities for young people across Kenya. The collaboration includes the launch of TUWEZESHE, PAKPRO’s environmental education and awareness programme. It is intended to give young people knowledge, skills and practical tools for environmental action, while extending discussion of Extended Producer Responsibility beyond policy and industry into schools and communities.
A central element of the programme will be Adopt-a-Bin, PAKPRO’s packaging-recovery initiative. Under the initiative, 600 segregated recycling bins are planned for placement in 150 schools nationwide. The bins will enable pupils to separate and recover materials used during school activities, including exercise books, examination papers and cartons, so that the collected material can return to productive use.
The programme will also focus on developing young people’s understanding of segregation at source, material recovery and recycling. Through the Scouts’ participation, the organisations intend to connect environmental responsibility with the association’s established emphasis on leadership, service and personal responsibility.
The partnership was announced by PAKPRO chief executive Joyce Gachugi-Waweru and Victor Radido, chief commissioner and chair of the National Scout Board. Other participants named in the announcement included Moses O. Danda, national executive commissioner of the Kenya Scouts Association; Paul Amunga, operations lead at PAKPRO; Ruth Nderitu of the Directorate of Education and Awareness; and Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority.
The organisations did not provide an implementation timetable, identify the participating schools or specify how the recovered materials will be collected and processed. No financial details for TUWEZESHE or the installation of the recycling bins were disclosed in the supplied announcement. No quotations from either organisation’s representatives were included in the supplied announcement.