Youth on a quest for environmental impact through Light On a Hill (LOAH) Kenya

By Lorraine Kinnear

Light On a Hill (LOAH) is a communitybased organisation founded by youth in September 2020. The achievement of sustainable development among communities in Meru County, Kenya, is at the heart of its mission. The mission of the organization is guided by Matthew 5:16. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your heavenly Father.” As a result, LOAH strives to spread its light around the world by educating communities on issues that are important to today’s youth.

The organisation is under the fine leadership Eva Makandi, 2022 Global Landscapes Forum Forest Restoration Steward, a North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) EE 30 Under 30 class of 2022 and a 2023 Community Engagement Exchange Fellow.

While most scientists believe that we're currently in the middle of an enormous extinction event, in which many species (plant and animal species alike) are being lost over a short geological time scale, many young people are investing in the restoration and preservation of natural resources. The youth of today are solution-driven, carrying the belief that camaraderie rather than competition will get us far especially on issues of preserving natural resources.

Homegrown Social Impact

Makandi has dedicated her life to achieving sustainable community development and empowering commu- nities to find long-term solutions to some of the socioeconomic challenges they face. This was her primary motivation for establishing LOAH, which came inspired by the issues she noted in her environment which she believed that if she collaborated with her peers and community, they could effectively come up with sustainable solutions.

“Over the past 10 years we observed a decline in agricultural outputs. My mother, a farmer, has occasionally complained about changes in rainfall patterns and its harsh effects on agriculture as seasons passed. This sentiment being shared by a lot of farmers in our community brings them a great deal of unease and a true sense of hopelessness,” Makandi shares.

“Additionally, I could see that other natural resources such as forests and rivers were starting to decline in my community too. I knew something had to change, and we all have our part to play.”

LOAH has since launched initiatives such as "Restore Mama Earth”, which focuses on environmental conservation and restoration with the goal of lowering the carbon footprint. They mainly drive their efforts through environmental education among children aged 5-12 years, hoping to empower and inspire a younger generation that loves, connects, and intentionally learns to conserve, protect, Envand restore their natural environment.

LOAH has also established a green space that hosts a classroom, organic vegetable garden, a green house and tree nursery. This has been made possible through collaboration with Global Landscape Forum, Kenya Environmental Action Network and a local community school, Mama Day, that donated the land and whose pupils they directly mentor and work with.

They also organise cleanups and oversee the recycling of plastic and glass bottles to create art. LOAH also intends to have their green space as a hub for Meru County and Kenya as a whole, where children, youth and adults come and learn varied progressive means of conservation and restoring the environment.

Future-forward and Globalised

Environmental education has proven to be a very effective driver of change among their target groups and especially through behavioral change. Tree growing plays a pivotal role in restoring land, especially for farmers, and so for LOAH, growing trees that can support the wider conservation and restoration mandate of sustainable development is key to its objectives.

Under their restoration résumé they have a total count of 434 tree seedlings, mentored over 230 kids on environmental conservation and restoration, carried out 5 community clean ups and advocacy activities, had successful exchange visits to a green space of sister organization (ICT 011) located in Isiolo County and established two tree nurseries that housed 1700 tree seedlings in 2021.

In 2022, the organisation revised its programs to mainly focus on educating and mentoring children. They shifted to small scale restoration such as “kitchen gardening” which allows families to have vegetables to feed their families and recycle water they use in their homesteads. This provides real time solutions to challenges local communities face. Additionally, if it’s tree planting, LOAH are keen on growing the trees to maturity and encourage fruit tree planting as they bear future incentives for families.

Public recognition for continued impact

Makandi was recognised as one of the Global Landscapes Forum's Restoration Stewards for 2022, and she has received a grant of 5000 Euros to help her develop her restoration proj- ects. Her goal is to continue to develop a learning space that promotes audio-visual learning, nurseries, and gardens as well as recycling points for the communities.

While she works with others in her mission, she also believes there is so much more that Africans can do in terms of being proactive about the environmental challenges in their communities. She applauds those already contributing toward the cause, especially as this is sometimes viewed as challenging work.

“I wish to see a shift in mindset, a generation, a continent and a globe that appreciates the planet, the environment and all these small and big efforts that all these practitioners are putting in to healing our planet and to making it a better place, she asserts.”

People are not the only beneficiaries of social impact, other lifeforms on Earth can thrive when businesses and organisations consciously choose sustainable ways to operate and to financially support grass root organizations such as LOAH Kenya. It is always important to make a difference in the world. When one aspect of society thrives, many other aspects of their lives thrive as well. This has the potential to result in bigger and better changes.