Country of Residence
Kenya
Age
18
Project title
Mukuru SDG Changemakers
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Mukuru SDG Changemakers is a youth-led community campaign that brings the Sustainable Development Goals to life through school clubs, community dialogues, creative arts, clean-ups, tree planting, storytelling and peer-led advocacy. We equip young people, teachers, artists and local leaders to turn global goals into practical local action while strengthening civic participation and creating a model that can be replicated across informal settlements.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.instagram.com/sesc._strathmore/
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
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?
The spark for Mukuru SDG Changemakers came from a simple realization: the people most affected by the challenges addressed by the Sustainable Development Goals are often the people least likely to see themselves as part of the SDG conversation. In Mukuru, issues such as poverty, poor sanitation, limited educational opportunities, environmental degradation and inequality are not abstract development statistics—they are part of everyday life. Yet awareness and ownership of the SDGs remain low. At the same time, we saw something equally important: Mukuru has young people, students, teachers, artists, community leaders and volunteers with ideas, talent and a strong desire to create change. That became our “aha!” moment. Instead of bringing another programme into the community to speak about the SDGs, we asked: what if the community itself became the messenger, educator and problem-solver? This led us to develop a community-led approach that connects global goals with local experiences. Through school clubs, community dialogues, creative arts, storytelling, clean-ups, tree planting and youth-led advocacy, we are creating spaces where residents can understand the SDGs, relate them to their lives and take action. The project is therefore not simply about SDG awareness. It is about helping communities see that they already have the ability to be local changemakers.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Mukuru faces interconnected challenges including poverty, poor sanitation, limited access to education, environmental degradation and inequality. Yet the Sustainable Development Goals, which directly address many of these challenges, remain largely disconnected from everyday community life. The problem is not simply a lack of information. It is a lack of ownership, accessible platforms and opportunities for people especially young people to translate global development goals into local action. Many residents are unfamiliar with the SDGs and how they relate to issues they experience every day. At the same time, Mukuru has students, teachers, artists, youth leaders, community groups and other local changemakers who are willing to contribute but often lack mentorship, institutional support and platforms through which their ideas can be heard and developed. This matters because sustainable development cannot be achieved through policies and institutions alone. Communities need to understand, own and participate in the solutions affecting them. Our project therefore addresses the gap between global development commitments and local realities. We want a young person in Mukuru to see SDG 1 not simply as a global target, but as a conversation about poverty in their community.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Mukuru SDG Changemakers brings the SDGs into everyday community life through a participatory, youth-led model built around awareness, leadership, creativity and action. First, we train young volunteers as SDG ambassadors who can communicate the goals in accessible and locally relevant ways. Rather than relying only on formal lectures, volunteers use peer education, storytelling, creative expression and community engagement. Second, we take the SDGs directly into the community through baraza dialogues, interactive sessions, talent showcases and public awareness activities. These spaces allow residents to connect the SDGs to challenges they experience and contribute their own ideas for solutions. Third, we work with schools to establish and strengthen SDG/Environmental Sustainability Clubs. Students become peer educators and community advocates while participating in practical activities such as debates, clean-ups, tree planting, murals, theatre and green-space creation. Fourth, we use artists, storytellers and youth-led journalism to make SDG issues visible and engaging. Digital storytelling helps document local action and amplify community voices beyond Mukuru. Finally, we build a partnership ecosystem involving universities, schools, community organizations, foundations, local leaders and media partners. This provides young changemakers with mentorship, platforms and opportunities to turn awareness into sustained action. The model connects four elements: knowledge, leadership, creativity and action. Instead of treating residents as beneficiaries of an awareness campaign, we position them as co-creators and messengers of change. Our long-term goal is to develop a practical and replicable model.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Our project is designed to create impact at both individual and community levels. We aim to reach more than 15,000 residents and students with practical SDG awareness while establishing 4–6 functional Environmental Sustainability/SDG Clubs that can continue community projects beyond individual campaign activities. The first phase is designed to train 250–350 youth volunteers as SDG ambassadors. The community engagement phase targets more than 10,000 residents, while the school campaign aims to engage more than 600 students through debates, clean-ups, tree planting, murals, theatre and peer-led advocacy. Beyond numbers, we want to change how young people see themselves in relation to development. Instead of being passive recipients of information, they become educators, advocates, creators and community problem-solvers. The campaign will also amplify local voices through digital storytelling, public events and youth-led journalism. Over time, our intended impact is a stronger culture of civic participation, youth leadership and environmental action in Mukuru. The model is designed to leave behind community structures; not just a one-time event; including trained volunteers, functioning school clubs, local partnerships and an annual platform for showcasing and replicating successful community projects.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Our innovation is not simply introducing the SDGs to Mukuru; it is changing who gets to interpret, communicate and act on them. Traditional awareness campaigns often position communities as audiences who receive information from external experts. Our approach reverses this model. We position young people, students, teachers, artists, community leaders and volunteers as co-creators, educators and problem-solvers. We translate global goals into locally meaningful experiences. SDG 1 becomes a conversation about poverty and opportunity; SDG 3 connects to community health and wellbeing; SDG 4 becomes a platform for improving learning; and SDG 6 connects directly to water, sanitation and environmental health. We also combine awareness with action. A young person does not simply learn about environmental sustainability—they can participate in a clean-up, plant a tree, create a mural, join a school club, produce a story or lead a peer discussion. This creates a pathway from knowledge to ownership and action. Another innovative element is the deliberate use of creative expression. Artists, theatre, murals, talent showcases, storytelling and youth-led journalism make development issues accessible to audiences who may not engage with conventional policy communication. Finally, the project is designed as a replicable community ecosystem rather than a one-off campaign. Partnerships with universities, schools, foundations, local organizations and media create an infrastructure for continued mentorship, leadership development and community action. Our ambition is to demonstrate that informal settlements are not merely places where development problems exist; they are places where locally driven solutions, leadership and innovation can emerge.
How many people are on your team?
6
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
Our team brings together youth leaders, students, educators, environmental advocates, community organizers, creatives and institutional partners. Leadership is shared through clear roles across community mobilization, school engagement, volunteer coordination, environmental activities, storytelling and partnerships. Team members contribute their expertise while young people are given meaningful responsibility for designing and leading activities, ensuring the project remains community-driven.
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, we will strengthen Mukuru SDG Changemakers from a campaign into a sustained community leadership and action model. First, we will expand and strengthen SDG/Environmental Sustainability Clubs in schools, with a focus on peer-led advocacy and practical projects such as clean-ups, tree planting, murals, debates and green-space creation. Second, we will continue training young SDG ambassadors and club leaders so that knowledge and leadership remain within the community rather than depending on external facilitators. Third, we will strengthen community engagement through barazas, forums, talent showcases and other participatory spaces where residents can identify challenges and co-create solutions. Fourth, we will build partnerships with organizations, companies, universities and foundations to create mentorship opportunities and a mini-grant model for promising student-led projects. We will also expand our storytelling and digital documentation so that local changemakers and community solutions can reach wider audiences. A key next step will be establishing an annual Mukuru Environmental Sustainability/SDG Clubs Summit where students and community groups can showcase their work, exchange ideas and inspire replication. Ultimately, we want to document what works and develop a practical model.
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.
We activate others by making participation practical, creative and accessible. Rather than asking people simply to attend an awareness event, we create different ways for them to become part of the solution. Young people can join as SDG ambassadors, peer educators or school club leaders. Students participate in debates, clean-ups, tree planting, theatre, murals and other practical activities. Teachers and community leaders provide mentorship and help connect activities to existing community structures. Artists and creatives help communicate SDG messages through talent showcases, murals, storytelling and other forms of creative expression. Youth-led journalism and digital media then document and amplify these stories, allowing local changemakers to inspire people beyond the immediate community. We also use community barazas and interactive forums to create spaces where residents can discuss the issues affecting them and contribute ideas rather than simply receive information. Partnerships are another important pathway for activation. We bring together schools, universities, community organizations, foundations, local NGOs, media partners and other stakeholders so that young people can access platforms, mentorship and opportunities to act. Our aim is to create a multiplier effect: train young people and work with them.
