Tweed Shire Council was represented at the 3rd World Water Forum in Kyoto in March 2003. This global conference allows delegates from around the world to meet and share experiences in their quest to provide safe drinking water, and healthy natural waterways for their populations and environment.

During the event, Mike Rayner, General Manager of Tweed Shire Council, met Olita Ongonjo, a social scientist representing Maji na ufanisi from Nairobi, Kenya. Mike and Olita immediately saw the vast contrast in their organisations work, but also the common themes, and an opportunity to share and learn from each other. In Kyoto, the Tweed highlighted its success in working with a well informed and resourced community to maintain a comparatively healthy environment. Maji na Ufanisi however, presented the plight of a community operating at survival level, struggling to provide basic water supplies and sanitation to village residents.

Following the 3rd World Water Forum, Tweed Shire Council considered the possible role it could play to assist in addressing the global issue of safe water access, as defined by the Millennium Declaration of the General Assembly of the United Nations. It was felt that by initiating a modest program outside its traditional local boundaries, the Shire and it’s residents could have the positive impact on global issues, improving humanitarian conditions for all future generations.

Following the Kyoto exchange, TSC pursued the feasibility of establishing a long-term relationship with Maji Na Ufanisi, and in February 2004 formally resolved to develop a mentoring partnership with the organisation. The objective in establishing the relationship was to apply the technical and organisational resources of Tweed Shire Council and the Tweed community to the work of Maji na Ufanisi, increasing the capacity of their target audience to attain the basic water and sanitation services that our population takes for granted.

Maji Na Ufanisi’s aim to increase peoples access to water and sanitation is driven by a desire to address issues of poverty and social injustice. Using the development of community water resources as an entry point, most of Maji Na Ufanisi's work is centred around the slums of Nairobi and the semi-arid northern regions of the country.

Olita Ogonjo and John Nyachieo visiting Tyalgum Weir Pool and treatment facility

Where is Kenya? Visiting the Sathya Sai Primary School, Murwillumbah

The mentoring partnership formally commenced in May 2004 when Tweed Shire Council hosted two Kenyans, Olita Ongonjo and John Nyachieo, for a three-week study tour. Olita is a Water Development Community worker (BA Hons Political Science and Sociology) and John a Water Engineer (MSc Civil Engineering).

During the visit Olita and John undertook an extensive round of inspections of all Council facilities and work sites related to the Shires drinking water, sewerage and catchment management programs. Intensive instruction on water quality testing was undertaken at the Tweed laboratory, and a series of meetings with community members involved in environmental education and advocacy programs were arranged.

For their part, Olita and John made many presentations on their home town, conditions in their local environment and the work of Maji na Ufanisi. Audiences included Councillors, Council staff, schools, environmental groups and local service clubs. The Program attracted significant media interest, being widely covered on radio, television and through the press.

While in the Tweed, John and Olita stayed with local families and quickly formed friendships with people throughout the community. By the end of their visit, it was apparent that there was a strong desire from within both Council and the broader Tweed community to embrace the mentoring program.

The second stage of the mentoring program involved a TSC staff member visiting Kenya. Council's (ex) Environmental Scientist, Karen Cranney, visited Kenya during October and November 2004 to work with Maji na Ufanisi in its field of operation. The specific aims of this visit included:

1. To document and evaluate the work undertaken by Maji na Ufanisi;

2. To establish contacts with other agencies including Nairobi City Council (NCC), the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), and Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company (NWSC).

3. To review the existing Kenyan trade waste policy including:

• Visits to various industries to look at their pollution controls;
• Reviewing the current trade waste policy; and
• Reviewing the level of enforcement in pollution control;

4. To support development of a Nairobi program in relation to trade waste using TSC as a model;

5. To report back to TSC and the Maji na Ufanisi, and

6. To continue cross cultural exchange between the two communities, and to strengthen bonds of friendship, understanding and commitment to the mentoring partnership.

Stage 3 of the Kenya mentoring program began with Tweed Shire Council resolving to formally adopt and contribute funds to the mentoring program, making an annual commitment of $10, 000 for 5 years. The International River Foundation mirrored this commitment and adopted the Tweed model under its “twinning” initiative. The International River Foundation, (IRF) , is a Brisbane based NGO who’s goal is to protects the worlds rivers for future generations and seeks to twin developed communities with a high level of capability in river management with developing nations whose need for capacity building in this area is great. The IRF saw great merit and efficiency in the Tweed program and committed to an annual program sponsorship of $10, 000 for 5 years.

Stage 4 of the mentoring program commenced in late 2006 when Olita returned to Australia with the assistance of the IRF to attend the International River Symposium in Brisbane. Olita was invited to present a paper at this conference on the work being undertaken by the mentoring program on the streets of Kiberia. The Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program has enjoyed a high profile at the International River Symposium, and it was Olita’s second consecutive year at this event reporting on his progress. Also presenting at the 2006 conference was TSC staff member Tom Alletson, who gave an overview of the project and introduced the Safe Water Project stream, a valuable new addition to the programs capacity.

Safe Water has its origins in a voluntary wage contribution scheme initiated by a number of Tweed Shire Council staff members. These staff wished to make a small, regular and ongoing contribution to the mentoring project, with a view to undertaking tangible on-ground projects that would make a direct impact on the lives of the project’s target community. By good fortune, at this same time, the TKMP became aware of an Australian organisation called Sky Juice Foundation who manufacture and install small and simple, yet highly effective water filtration plants. These plants produce drinking quality water from highly contaminated supplies, they can be sized to suit the communities population, and are specifically designed to meet the needs of villages affected by poverty and/or natural disaster who are unable to access safe drinking supplies.

Using money raised through the TSC staff contribution scheme, and with the support of a number of generous sponsors from the Tweed community, in March 2007 a sky juice water treatment plant has been purchased and taken to Kenya by a volunteer Council staffer, Marty Hancock. It has been set up and commissioned in the village of Obambo-Kadenge, providing safe drinking water for the people, for the first time in their lives.

Comparing the Sky Hydrant Water with untreated water from the dam	Free-standing Sky Hydrant Water Filtration System

Y-CLEAN
(by Anastacia Karugo – volunteer at the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Desk, Dagoretti)

Y-CLEAN is an abbreviation for 'Youth Led Environment Action Network' and is a very exciting and dynamic stream of the Tweed Kenya Mentoring Program.

Y-CLEAN is a youth-community model for action on environmental, youth sports and cultural development that is emerging out of the KMP programme activities still at formative stage. The model is driven by youth and will also involve collaboration with government, NGOs, business, schools and universities. Already a youth network has emerged covering the entire Dagoretti catchment including Kibera and Kiambiu slums, and youth leaders are being identified and mentored.

The youths have identified that they want to engage in information exchange, organisation development, training and youth action through sports/culture and community service through cleanups, revegetation & water and sanitation infrastructure development. It is expected that the Kavuthe River Stream Project will be implemented via the Y-CLEAN model.

The KMP was able to establish that the youth in Nairobi and in particular the Dagoretti area faces a lot of hardship that include HIV/Aids, Drug abuse, school dropout, lack of employment to name a few, that prevent them from being active participants in community service and youth affairs. The youth have a huge potential and talent because they are young, have the energy and their large number. They lack information, training and support.

Proposed Goal:
To build an environment where the youth are appreciated, protected and supported.

Target:
Youth clubs, groups, schools, church and other NGO youth programmes.

Proposed Activities:

• Mobilisation, awareness and education of youth community on the issues of environmental sanitation, youth affairs and rights, HIV/aids, drugs, leadership, sports and culture;
• Identify youth with talent, including potential leaders and provide mentoring support through training and information, and access to the mentoring program cultural and technical exchange stream;
• Support youth to engage in community service;
• Support the establishment of vibrant youth response network that would lead;
• Youth to campaign for a cleaner environment;
• Document youth development;
• To facilitate rehabilitation of the Kavuthe River, there arose the need to identify and start up nurseries for indigenous trees;
• To build a strong foundation on issues of environmental sanitation and sensitivity, TKMP will advocate for special lessons on environment in schools; and
• Involving the youth during school holidays in community service, sports and cultural activities gives the opportunity to inform them more in this informal situations.