website: kaburo kobia
And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations (Rev. 22:2)
Action Plan
The practical action plans created by the participants with the guidance of the dedicated EWV trainers, dealt with issues including water scarcity, soil erosion, solutions to curbing alcoholism, deforestation, and renewable energy among others.
OikoDiplomatique’s collaboration with the EWV program followed the organisation’s faith based workshop held in April 2022 at the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) in Westlands, Nairobi.
OikoDiplomatique in cooperation with World Vision’s Empowered World View Program
Training in Elgeyo Marakwet
Venue: Cheptebo Conference Center
Training dates: 27th - 30th June, 2022
By Nkatha Kobia
In June 2022 OikoDiplomatique teamed up with a program of World Vision called Empowered World View (EWV) to bring together and train faith and community leaders as well as environmental specialists in Elgeyo Marakwet working around land restoration.
EWV in the context of land restoration and regeneration
The EWV training, held at Cheptebo Conference Center, successfully equipped the participants with tools to identify, address and solve obstacles. The module is faith based and addresses issues holistically. The EWV method was then applied to the context of land restoration and regeneration, enabling the participants to create concrete measurable action plans to address the root causes of land degradation in their county.
OikoDiplomatique partners in various ways with like-minded organizations and entities as part of its strategy to accomplish its overall goal of contributing towards land restoration and regeneration which in turn results in numerous benefits to the individual, the community, the nation and our living planet as a whole.
Applying Indigenous Knowledge
Further to the three day module, the participants shared invaluable knowledge, inspiration and wisdom with each other. Notably, we had the invaluable presence of a knowledgeable and dedicated leader, Major John Seii (retd) as well as a notable scientist and environmentalist, Dr. Joseph Lelon.
They inspired and informed the participants about the importance of restored landscapes, and the value in applying indigenous knowledge. This was in harmony with the EWV method which promotes the use of locally and readily available resources to address the root causes of problems.
Referencing regional experience
Equally informative and inspirational were stories shared by participants such as Ms. Joyce Wafula, a champion of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) for eight years; Simon Taimuge, who has 40 years experience in community development and grows medicinal trees; and Andrew Lemaiyan, a youth representative who is actively involved in regreening Oloitoktok and the regeneration on Mt. Kilimanjaro.