Age
10
Country of Residence
Kenya
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My spark came when my family moved from the green, cool highlands to a hot, semi-arid area. When I first looked around, I felt sad. There were no trees for shade, no flowers, and very little rain. The ground was dry and dusty, and litter was everywhere because there was no proper way to dispose of waste and no seedling nursery nearby. It did not feel like home. My parents became my biggest cheerleaders. They often told me that trees bring shade, cool the land, protect the soil and help bring rain. One day I asked myself, “If trees can change a place, why can’t I start planting them here?” That was my “Aha!” moment. I realised that I did not have to wait for grown-ups to fix our hamlet. Even a child can make a difference. I decided to make tree planting part of our celebrations. At my birthday party, I asked my friends to plant trees with me instead of only eating cake. Soon, every family member’s birthday became a tree-planting day, and every guest who visited our home was invited to plant a tree too. My play group friends joined in, and planting became fun. Today, I have watched some of those small seedlings grow into big, strong trees that give us shade. Every time I see them, my spark grows bigger. I now dream of a seedling nursery, waste bins and compost pits for every home, and of partnering with many people until our whole hamlet is clean, green and healthy.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
The best way I encourage people to join is by inviting them to plant a tree with me. When a family member has a birthday or a guest visits our home, I give them a seedling, help them plant it and put their name on it. So far, about 50 people have planted trees with us, and many of them come back to check how their tree is growing. Some have even started planting trees at their own homes. I also use birthday parties to spread the idea. When my friends come to celebrate, we plant a tree together, play games about sorting waste and talk about why trees matter. My play group friends now help me pick litter, water seedlings and teach younger children not to burn plastics or throw waste into drains. I share what I learn through simple drawings and posters, like my “Clean Hamlet, Healthy Hamlet” picture, so that even small children can understand. I talk to my classmates and teachers about the project, and I want to start a tree club at school. In the future, I will invite neighbours, churches and local leaders to community tree-planting and clean-up days, and ask them to make tree planting part of birthdays, weddings and other celebrations. I would also like to share photos and stories of our growing trees with my parents’ help, so more people see that a child’s small idea can make a big difference.
How many people are on your team?
9
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
So far, our project has planted around 200 trees through family birthdays, guest visits and birthday parties with friends. About 150 of them are still growing, and some have already grown into big, strong trees that give us shade on hot afternoons. Seeing them makes me proud and shows me that small actions really work. The project has reached about people: my family, 15guests per year who planted trees at our home, and [X] friends from my play group who now pick litter, sort waste and teach other children not to burn plastics. Some neighbours have started asking us for seedlings and copying our compost pit. Our compound is greener and cleaner, and less waste ends up in our drains and near the river. In the next year, I hope to plant at least 200 more trees, raise 2000 seedlings in our nursery, and help 50 homes start compost pits and sort their waste. I also want to hold community tree-planting days with schools, churches and local leaders, so that many more people join. I believe it will work because it is easy and joyful. Everyone has a birthday, and every family welcomes guests, so every home can plant trees without needing a lot of money. When people plant a tree with their own name on it, they care for it and come back to see it grow. Step by step, these trees will give our hamlet more shade, better soil, cleaner water and a more beautiful home for everyone.
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Clean Hamlet, Healthy Hamlet is 10-year-old Crispin Muiga’s kinyua community project in Kenya Rumuruti semi arid region, that turns every family birthday and every visiting guest into a newly planted tree, while teaching neighbours to sort waste into bins, make compost, raise seedlings, keep drains clear and stop pollution, so that our hamlet grows greener, cleaner and healthier for everyone. Using drawings and posters I conducted community tree planting, collect gabage disposal, and campaign.
Project title
CLEAN HAMLET HEALTHY HAMLET
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Our hamlet lies in a semi-arid area that faces many environmental problems. There are very few trees, so there is little shade, the soil is easily washed or blown away, and the land feels hot and dry. Rain is low and unreliable, which makes farming hard for families. There is no seedling nursery nearby, so people who want to plant trees cannot easily get seedlings, and community tree-planting activities are rare. Waste is another big problem. There is no proper waste disposal system, so plastics and litter are thrown on paths, into drains and near our river. Some people burn plastics, and the smoke is harmful to our health. Blocked drains hold dirty water where mosquitoes breed, and the river that should give us clean water gets polluted. At the same time, kitchen and garden waste that could become rich compost manure is simply thrown away, while farmers struggle with poor soil. These problems matter to me because this is my home. I want to grow up in a place that is green, beautiful and healthy, where children can play under trees, families can harvest good crops, and everyone can drink clean water. My project answers these needs by planting more trees, raising seedlings, making compost manure, sorting waste and keeping our river clean. In the future, I dream of a simple AI waste app that helps families know which bin to use and where to take their waste.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
none
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next year, I want to grow my project from our home to the whole hamlet. First, I will expand our seedling nursery so we can raise at least 2000 seedlings of indigenous, fruit and shade trees, using recycled bottles and containers as pots. We will share these seedlings with neighbours, schools and churches. Second, I will start a Birthday Tree Register. Every tree planted will be recorded with the name of its owner, the date and how well it is growing. This will help us care for the trees and show our real impact. Third, I will invite more people to join. I plan to visit my school and nearby schools to start tree clubs, and to ask churches and local leaders to make tree planting part of birthdays, weddings and other celebrations. I would also like to partner with the Kenya Forest Service for seedlings and advice. Fourth, I will help at least 50 homes set up compost pits and sort their waste into bins, and organise a community clean-up to clear our drains and protect the river before the rains. Finally, I want to find mentors who can help me design the first simple version of our AI waste app, so families can learn which bin to use. By the end of the year, I hope to have planted 200 more trees, reached 50 families and made our hamlet cleaner, greener and healthier for everyone.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Many tree-planting programs happen on one big day. People plant hundreds of seedlings, take photos and go home, and later many of the trees dry up because nobody cares for them. My project is different because it links tree planting to the happiest moments in a family’s life: birthdays and visits from guests. Since birthdays come every year and guests visit all the time, planting never stops. It becomes a family habit, not a one-time event. Every tree also has a name and an owner, like “Mum’s tree” or “Guest tree”. When a tree carries your name, you want to water it and come back to see it grow. This sense of ownership helps more trees survive. My project is also led by a child. Most environmental programs are run by adults, but I believe children can be leaders too. When my friends come for a birthday party, they plant a tree, have fun and then go home and tell their families. Each guest carries the idea to a new home, so it spreads from family to family. Another new thing is that every part of my project helps another part. Kitchen and garden waste goes into our compost pit and becomes manure for our seedlings. Old plastic bottles and containers become pots for the nursery instead of litter. Sorting waste into colour-coded bins keeps our drains and river clean. Instead of solving one problem at a time, we solve them together in a simple circle where waste becomes something useful. It is also very low-cost. A family does not need a lot of money to join, only a seedling, a small hole and some love. In the future, I dream of using technology in a new way: a simple AI waste app where a family takes a photo of their waste and the app tells them which bin to use or how to compost it. This would make sorting waste easy for everyone, even young children
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
My solution is simple: I turn happy moments into green moments. In our home, every family member’s birthday is celebrated by planting a tree, and every guest who visits is welcomed with a seedling to plant. Each tree gets a small name tag, like “Dad’s tree” or “Guest tree”, and the person it is named after helps to care for it. This makes people proud of their tree and want to come back to see it grow. To make sure we always have seedlings, I am starting a small seedling nursery at home. We raise indigenous, fruit and shade trees in old containers and plastic bottles that would otherwise become litter. I water them every morning and evening, and we share seedlings with neighbours so more homes can plant trees. We also deal with waste in a better way. Kitchen peelings, leaves and animal dung go into our compost pit, and after a few months we get free manure for our seedlings and gardens. We sort other waste into colour-coded bins: green for food waste, blue for paper, yellow for plastics and tins, and red for sharp or dangerous items. This keeps litter away from our drains and our river. I work with my friends in our play group, whom we call the Green Buddies. Together we pick litter, unblock drains before the rains, make posters and teach other children not to burn plastics. When friends come for birthday parties, planting a tree is now part of the fun. My next step is to keep a record of every tree we plant and how well it grows, and to invite schools, churches and community leaders to join our tree-planting days. In the future, I dream of a simple AI waste app where a family can take a photo of waste and the app tells them which bin to use. Step by step, one birthday and one guest at a time, our hamlet is becoming cleaner, greener and healthier.
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I lead the project, and my team has about 9 people. My parents are my mentors and cheerleaders: they guide me, help buy seedlings and keep me safe. My 15 play group friends help plant trees, water seedlings, sort waste and pick litter. Family members and guests plant and care for their own named trees. We share leadership by taking turns: each friend leads one task, like watering or the compost pit. Next, I want teachers, local leaders and a forester to join us.
