Speech by Elizabeth Wathuti, Founder and CEO, Green Generation Initiative (GGI)

Story by Ayubu John photo journalist Afrimedia Group news Good morning everyone.

For anyone who does not identify as a young person, we usually say they are young at heart, so today we are all young at heart.

First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to serve as a member of the County Community Committee and to be closely involved with our communities, especially young people and women, through the Green Generation Initiative.

I would also like to thank the Upper Tana Nairobi Water Fund and the Nature Conservancy for believing in young people and for supporting this important work.

Today, we are celebrating 10 years of the Nairobi Water Fund, and it is my hope that when we gather again in another 10 years, we will celebrate another decade of impact—where the young people we are investing in today will be leading the change we are working to create.

Looking back, the Water Fund has had a tremendous impact on young people at the community level.

Today I am reminded of a powerful experience involving a young man in Murang’a County. After we finished planting trees in Kiamakia Forest, we visited nearby communities where we distributed fruit tree seedlings to farmers. Each farmer received about ten grafted avocado seedlings.

There was a young man in Form Three who had accompanied his parents to help carry the seedlings home. After the distribution, he came to us very determined and insisted that he also needed seedlings.

He told us, “When I finish school, I know these avocado trees will already be growing. In about three years, I will have something that can help me start my life.”

His father was so moved by his determination that he decided to allocate him a portion of land where he could plant those trees

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This moment reminded me that when we invest in young people today, we are truly investing in the future. By the time this young man finishes school, his avocado trees will be growing, and they could become a source of income that helps him build his life.

The Water Fund is also directly and indirectly creating green jobs for young people. The future is shaped by what we do today, and every investment we make now is an investment in the next generation.

We are also seeing a significant impact among young women farmers. Many of them are actively involved in restoring water catchment areas and participating in sustainable farming practices.

Some of these women are young mothers. Many come from low-income communities. When we invest in them, we are not only transforming their livelihoods—we are transforming entire families and communities.

Another important impact is knowledge. When young people grow up seeing practices like soil management, land conservation, and water protection, they begin to understand why protecting our ecosystems is critical.

This means that in the next five or ten years, we will have a generation that understands why protecting our water catchment areas matters—and why sustainable land management is essential for our future.

We strongly believe that attitudes and behaviors toward the environment begin at a young age. By investing in young people and ensuring the participation of young women, we are building a generation that will care deeply for our planet.

So once again, congratulations on 10 years of the Nairobi Water Fund, and congratulations on a model that truly empowers communities.

My prayer is that God grants us long life so that when we gather here again in another ten years, we will proudly look back and say that we invested in a generation that truly cares for our planet and protects our water resources for generations to come.