Environmental Education in the Kenyan Mukogodo Ecosystem

Welcome to another blog of the CMP Success Stories Series!

Interviewee: Gideon Pirandoni Meriwas
Interviewed by: Valentina Marcos | HR & Branding Associate

1. Why did you decide to apply for the Changemakers Program (CMP)?

I applied to the Changemakers Program because I wanted to strengthen my ability to transform community challenges into sustainable, human-centered solutions. In particular, I was interested in the Mukogodo ecosystem in Kenya, an extensive landscape of over 30,000 ha of dry forest cover, vast rangelands and the Ewaso Nyiro River (the only existing river in Northern Kenya).

This critical ecosystem is home to 45 mammal species, including threatened elephants, buffaloes and leopards, as well as around 200 bird and 100 butterfly species. Through ACTNOW KENYA, I have been working alongside schools and local communities on climate action, food security, and youth empowerment in the region. I saw CMP as an opportunity to learn practical innovation tools, connect with like-minded changemakers from around the world, and become a more effective leader in designing solutions that create lasting impact.

2. What were your main learnings and your favorite sessions during the program?

The Changemakers Program challenged me to think differently about leadership, social impact, and the power of purpose. Notably, Pablo's session on changemaking taught me that sustainable change begins with a clear understanding of why we do the work. This has strengthened my commitment to supporting Indigenous communities in Northern Kenya through community-led conservation, sustainable food systems, and youth leadership.

Additionally, my favorite sessions were Human-Centered Design, Customer Insights, Research Methods, Policy Engagement, Sustainability, and Storytelling for Impact. They taught me that effective solutions are co-created with the people experiencing the challenges, informed by evidence, and designed around real community needs rather than assumptions. One of the most valuable experiences was refining the ACTNOW KENYA story through the Demo Days. Presenting our work, receiving constructive feedback, and iterating our pitch helped me communicate our vision with greater clarity and confidence. The one-on-one mentorship from Marian and Katalin also strengthened my thinking on project design, leadership, and impact.

I had an opportunity to learn alongside changemakers from Madagascar and Peru, broadened my perspective and reinforced the value of collaboration. While our communities' contexts differ, our shared commitment to creating lasting social and environmental impact connected us in meaningful ways. Through our continued conversations and contributions to our Community Voices platform, we have built relationships that extend beyond the program—creating a network where we continue to exchange ideas, and learn from our diverse experiences.

3. What is your current personal project, and how has CMP helped you develop it?

My current project Nkishon Program —a maasai word for wellbeing and better life, is an initiative by ACTNOW KENYA that seeks to transform food production in Indigenous pastoralist communities in Northern Kenya. We began in schools by establishing climate-smart school gardens, strengthening school feeding systems, and teaching children practical skills in regenerative agriculture, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. Our vision is that these children become the next generation of climate conscious leaders, helping extend sustainable food production practices into their households and the wider community. This work responds to a fundamental challenge in our region. Most families rely almost entirely on livestock for food and income—a livelihood that has become increasingly vulnerable to prolonged droughts and climate change. By introducing diversified, climate-resilient food production through schools, we are helping communities build more secure and sustainable food systems while improving children's nutrition and learning outcomes.

Before joining CMP, ACTNOW KENYA's work spanned several environmental initiatives but lacked a unifying, human-centered approach. The purpose-driven leadership training during the program helped me rethink how we identify challenges and design solutions, leading to the creation of the Nkishon Program. Nkishon is our flagship five-year initiative focused on transforming local food systems across the Mukogodo Ecosystem. By combining Human-Centered Design with community insights, we are co-creating practical, climate-resilient solutions with schools, Indigenous communities, and local partners to improve nutrition, strengthen livelihoods, and build long-term food security. While in Peru for the Final summit, I learnt practical strategies like value addition at Brazilian Nuts Park and agroecology at Kerenda Homet, which is now helping us build a more sustainable model that creates greater value for the communities we serve.

So far, we have established one fully operational climate-smart school garden—Nkishon Agroecology Hub, trained 65 members of the school's Environmental Club to manage the garden, reached all 322 learners with practical nutrition and environmental education, and engaged 207 parents and teachers through school gardening activities and training. In addition, an investment of €5,000 enabled ACTNOW KENYA to establish one climate-smart school garden, equip 45+ students gardening practice knowledge, and benefit more than 290 learners through improved nutrition, practical food production skills, and environmental education in the Mukogodo Ecosystem.

Thank you once again for this opportunity. I am grateful to have been part of the Changemakers leadership development program and look forward to seeing the inspiring stories from fellow alumni!

Bio

Valentina Marcos
Branding and Diversity Associate and HR Lead at Emzingo and Emzingo|U

Valentina is an International Relations graduate whose work focuses on diversity, organizational culture, and people-centered leadership. She holds certifications in Project Management from the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), Humanitarian Logistics from MIT edX, and Social Sciences and Humanities from Sciences Po.

At Emzingo, she supports branding, diversity, and people strategy across programs focused on leadership development, social impact, and cross-cultural collaboration. Her multicultural perspective is informed by having lived and worked across Mexico, Canada, Spain, and France.

Connect with Valentina on LinkedIn.