Eden Inc. USA and Eden Environmental Association Kenya

As co-founder and International Director of Eden, I've poured my soul into cultivating thriving lives and flourishing landscapes. I believe that every person and every place has hidden potential, emerging beautifully when cultivated with compassion. Sixty percent of Africa's population is under 24 years old; children and youth with huge potential to drive the changes necessary to avert future ecological disaster. However, few global resources allocated to climate change are plowed into developing experiential, educational experiences for the most vulnerable children who will EITHER transform unsustainable environmental practices or continue to suffer from poverty and inequality arising from degraded landscapes.

Eden has developed numerous programs dedicated to engaging vulnerable children and youth in the fight against climate change, which is really a fight for a fair opportunity to fully thrive.

As a winner, the prize money would be invested in amplifying our key message that the next generation, especially the vulnerable, are the key to global change and deserve the chance to flourish. The prize would help expand and spread the genius of Eden's field-tested, carefully-crafted programs and inspire more people to courageously take the first step to  selflessly cultivate thriving lives and flourishing landscapes right where they are.

I love the outdoors, backpacking, campfires, ah-ha moments, poetry and the contemplative life. I had the incredible privilege of being brought up on the continent of Africa, whose land and people have become my home. I was born in the USA but at 2 years old, my parents moved to Africa and I basically never left, except to study Biology, Inter-cultural Communication and Sustainable Development in university/grad school. Together with my husband of 27 years and 3 children, I have worked with various NGOs across Africa.

I met my best friend in boarding school in 9th grade. When we both ended up back in Kenya in 2009; she, rehabilitating boys from the streets of Nairobi, and me, floundering in an organisation I didn't fit, birthed Eden from who we were and what we loved; camping/adventure, nature, seeing the sacred in everything, experiential education, and serving vulnerable communities. Eden grew slowly, organically, one baby step at a time. My under-utilised skills in administration and leadership began to blossom as Eden's complexity grew.  My beloved, African sister, Trizzer Kimani, whom I had previously worked for, has been my mentor and support. Together Eden was born, and together we will still go far.

At 60% of the population, children/youth are Africa's largest resource, but few are putting any holistic effort into cultivating their potential to positively affect the climate crisis. Environmental education is minimal in the public school curriculum.

Eden created experiential programs designed to harness the power of children's natural curiosity to drive environmental behavior change.  Through Eden's Environmental Camps, Clubs, Ecopreneurship and Eco-Membership programs, over 6500 children/youth, 2500 adults, 45 children's homes, 10 schools and communities in 10 counties have benefited, with 3000 seedlings planted by the children and more than 10,000 more ready to plant.  

Transformation of attitudes and behaviors is slowly cultivated over time through enjoyable experiences that have the potential to encourage positive actions. Eden has proven this:

80% of the children attending camp are actively involved in planting trees in 10 counties in Kenya; Fifty-five percent have started environmental projects including kitchen gardens, installation of trashcans, tree planting, environment clubs combining indigenous cultural/spiritual wisdom with the latest solutions and technologies.

Eden cultivates the potential of the next generation to become eco-champions who embrace curiosity, innovation and the courage to change the way they interact with their environment today so that their future will be equitable and sustainable.

Although Eden borrows best practices from community models, experiential education, sustainable development and environmental science, the way we holistically combine them, with attention to the sacred, makes Eden unique and powerful. Just as our planet will not flourish if air, water, soil and the sun's energy are siloed and disconnected; Eden believes that potential for positive change is most fully cultivated when these disciplines are integrated and creatively combined. 

In today's world so much information is available yet not equally distributed globally. The poorest of the world's children/youth do not have the digital skills or technology to be able to scale up or market their indigenous ideas for solving some of their communities' most pressing environmental issues. Thus, those the world most needs to hear from are silenced. Eden's programs catalyse positive change in communities where people suffer from deforestation, kitchen smoke pollution, dirty water, human wildlife conflict and degraded soils. They are encouraged to come up with ideas, which Eden then supports and scales up through access to technology and exposure to solutions others have already invented. It is our firm belief that those who are most affected by climate change should have the biggest voice in creating solutions.

Eden's programs produce profound impact because we are harnessing the power of Curiosity, Community and Conservation through a commitment to Presence at the local level, investment in creative Programs rather than structures, and developing Partnerships that turn passion into tangible action. 

Eden uses logic models to ensure that our activities and inputs clearly lead to our intended outputs and outcomes. We use the Most Significant Change (MSC) evaluation method to ensure the impact of our programs contribute to thriving, as defined by the local community.

Eden's program activities carried out by our local, dedicated staff cultivates the potential of children/youth to become important environmental change agents, reversing behaviors that harm the land and push families into poverty.

For example, 70% of children attending Eden camp no longer litter because at camp they learned to reuse trash to build useful structures and were mentored by Eden staff role models. These children now influence many more and contribute to a cleaner environment in 10 counties in Kenya.

Being present allows Eden to walk alongside the children, bringing the elderly custodians of culture and spiritual wisdom together with the digital generation so that indigenous wisdom will inform today's solutions.