GEO-6 for Youth: Africa
Edith Uwineza
Amna Omer
The Nairobi River dream
I envision a Nairobi River running deep and wild with beauty, a sight to behold, a name to reckon with. I dream of a Nairobi river where children play freely and skip rocks in its deep clear water. People fishing and laughing under the bright African sun. Nevertheless, these dreams can only be realized if we start with ourselves, having a recycling, reusing, and reducing mentality within our spaces.
Nairobi River flowing through the Eastlands part of Nairobi
The waste from our houses can be transformed into biogas which, in turn, can be used by the communities living along the river to cook and as an alternative to the expensive gas sold in the market. By implementing controlled irrigation along the river banks, I believe that Nairobi can be one of the food capitals in Kenya, which will create self-sustaining communities along the Nairobi River. I envision a Nairobi where landlords take responsibility and put in the right measures as required by housing laws, the whole community standing together in numbers to restore the river through community clean-ups. Nairobi River could be like the lover's canal in Amsterdam or a water sport centre for recreational purposes. This may be a farfetched dream for most, but it is a distinct reality for those that believe like us.
Youth Action 22: The water lady, Sudan
My name is Amna, or as my friends love to call me ‘The Water Lady’. I was born and raised in Sudan, I studied in public schools, I used to walk 10 to 15 min to reach my school. Although this is not that far, can you imagine an eight-year-old girl carrying a bag weighing more than 10 kg in one hand and in the other hand 10 litres of water? Because there was no water in my school, I used to carry 10 litres of water daily. I would look at the Nile and wonder why we didn’t have any water in our school, yet Africa’s longest river passed right through our neighbourhood.
It was then that I decided to study civil engineering and specialize in water engineering.
Unfortunately, the first job opportunity that I came across after graduation was clearly marked, “ONLY FOR MEN.” Though disappointing, this inspired me to keep striving harder in order to minimize this gender gap that seemed evident in the water sector in Sudan.
I was able to get a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) in Germany. Afterwards, I travelled around Sudan visiting water projects. I was even able to travel to Darfur, one of the most unstable areas in Sudan. Most of the families and projects that I visited were quite intrigued by the fact that a young lady from Khartoum was travelling alone to far-off places. This experience has taught me that you will never understand the problems of people until you step into their shoes and live their life.
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Field work of SYPW in remote villages
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