This archive report was first published on 25 November 2019.
On November 25, 2019, Dow and ChildFund Kenya kicked off their campaign to combat plastic waste in Kenya through the Project Butterfly initiative.
The program, which began last year in Mukuru informal settlement, aims to educate and inspire children to be future change agents in waste management.
As part of the initiative, Dow and ChildFund joined over 800 volunteers in a community clean-up exercise in the Kasarani district, where they also visited an innovative recycling facility, Mr. Green Africa, to see how it is pioneering plastic recovery and recycling in Nairobi.
Marco Ten Bruggencate, Dow's Commercial Vice President Packaging & Specialty Plastics EMEA, emphasized the importance of addressing the waste footprint in Africa, which is expected to increase by 3 billion people in the next 30 years.
“Africa is a dynamic part of the world, and we are delighted to have the privilege to operate here. However, with an extra 3 billion people predicted to live here in the next 30 years, the waste footprint will also increase on a massive scale,” Bruggencate said.
The Project Butterfly initiative, launched in October 2017 in Tembisa, South Africa, has been working with ChildFund for the last two years and has already made inroads into tackling poor waste management in their areas through education campaigns, clean-ups, and local expos.
ChildFund Kenya Country Director Chege Ngugi praised the program, saying it aligns well with the organization's Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene programs, including the Mazingira bora project in Mukuru informal settlement.
