Singers Nikki and Carol visited the Nairobi River Primary School on Wednesday 2 March 2000 to present and rehearse the "Earth Song" released on an enhanced CD to raise awareness about the ‘Save Nairobi Rivers’ campaign.
This was the first public event organised by the Nairobi River Basin Project team to raise awareness of the plight of Nairobi’s rivers and the need for grassroots action involving stakeholders, communities, schools and the public to bring about a better environment, focusing in particular on the role of rivers in the city, hence the "River of Kids".
Held on 5 February 2000 on Kimathi street, the "River of Kids" event involved Nairobi Primary schools, environmental clubs, and university students. The event was held in conjunction with the Nation radio and other sponsors. It featured a street parade and clean-up supported by a question-and-answer competition for an Earth Song CD prize. Over 200 children from about twenty primary schools in the city took part in a three-hour street procession to raise awareness on the urgent need to rehabilitate rivers. Dressed in blue T-shirts bearing the logo ‘tulinde mito yetu’ (let us preserve our rivers), the children marched from Nation Centre on Kimathi street, around the city’s central business district and back. They waved placards and called on governments and individuals to tighten their stand on persons deliberately polluting rivers. One of the placards read ‘We are the future beneficiaries of the environment and destroying it means destroying us as well’
After the procession, the participants who also included UNEP officials and environmental enthusiasts from various public universities and colleges, cleaned the litter lying around the city centre. The city’s central business district was clean and glittering within a short while. "It is not only fun to be here but we are calling for a pollution-free environment which is vital for the human race", said 12-year old Irene Wanjiru from Farasi Lane Primary school. After the clean-up exercise, they all assembled at Nation Centre where they joined popular Kenyan artists Nikki and Carol in singing the internationally-acclaimed ‘Earth Song’. The group plans to take part in cleaning and rehabilitating the Nairobi rivers before moving to the rural areas.
Visit to Farasi lane primary school on Wednesday 1 March 2000 attended by UNEP, KOEE and Spinknit to present the competition entry forms and milk donation by Spinknit. The competition involved primary and secondary schools within Nairobi. The winners were presented with sponsored prizes during the Exhibition, Presentation and Awards ceremony. The competition was part of the environmental education programme featured in the ‘Save the Nairobi rivers - Everyone lives downstream’ campaign. The competition gave entrants an opportunity to show through essays, art and photographs how they view the Nairobi river basin in the new millennium, their dreams or visions, hopes or fears, anger or despair towards the only water source in Nairobi.
The Clean-Up involving community leaders and stakeholders was held on 25 March 2000. The event was intended to demonstrate the commitment of young people of Nairobi to support the Nairobi River Basin Project, an initiative to clean the Nairobi rivers and the surrounding environment.
This was held on 8 April 2000 at the University of Nairobi Sports Grounds featuring soccer, basketball, karate demonstrations, volleyball, tug of war and athletics. Also featured was a drama presentation by Direct Marketing on the Nairobi rivers. It was attended by community youth clubs, environmental clubs, universities, colleges and schools from the city.
An Earth music concert was held in October 1999 at the Carnivore restaurant that featured the ‘Earth song’ presented by singers Nikki and Carol. The CD was also presented to the entertainment media during the exhibition, presentation and awards ceremony in April 2000. The CD was produced by Audio Vault and sponsored by UNEP and Compaq.
The ceremony featuring the "Profile of a river" photographic exhibition and interactive project demonstrations, and introducing Kenya’s first enhanced CD, was held on 13 April 2000 at the Hotel Intercontinental, Nairobi. The guest of honour was Dr. Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director UNEP. All interactive products, maps, music, photographs, educational and public awareness materials were displayed and demonstrated to an audience of invited guests. The ceremony was also attended by the Nairobi Deputy Mayor, Councellor Joe Aketch. Over 300 guests from the local authority, Government, business community, community leaders, NGO’s, environmental groups and schools were in attendance. There ware demonstration booths for the Database, Mapping, Community outreach and education, Public awareness, Mukuru "Makaa Meupe" (white charcoal) projects, Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) Water testing kits, "Tour of the Nairobi Rivers" photographic exhibition and the presentation of the Earth Song enhanced CD & live performance.
Members of MYSA demonstrated the process of testing water to the guests. Winners of the essay, art and photographic competition were also awarded their prizes at the ceremony. There was a live performance by artists Nikki and Carol of the Earth Song specially commissioned to raise awareness on the " save the Nairobi Rivers" campaign.
