My name is Kaluki Paul Mutuku. I am a second born in a family of 3 brothers and a single mother. I was brought up in a typical Kenyan culture, with most part of my childhood being spent in the rural setting(village). Back then, my love for nature was still blossoming; I seized every moment to go to the forest and collect firewood, graze cattle and goats as well as playing with peers. Things were just beautiful.
At some point, water was supplied to most homesteads, including ours, but after sometime it was cut off due to mismanagement. This meant that people had to go back to the river/ stream and search for that water. And by people I mean women mostly, and children
“Growing up, I witnessed mothers cover kilometers to fetch water. No one else was keen on struggling to avail the resource to the family. Day in day out, she [mother(s)] would rise up early in the morning to queue for water in the only single spring in our village. At times, water became completely scarce; she had to make several rounds in order to provide water for cooking, bathing, washing clothes and utensils, and cleaning the household. This wasted much time that could otherwise have been used to do other activities. The thought of leaving women to all domestic chores disturbed me a lot, it still does to date…..”
I hold a Bsc. Degree in Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources Management, from the University of Nairobi. I am keen on environmental communications, running a blog on the same, and previously volunteered as a communications lead with 350.org-Kenya team and AYICC-Kenya.
Green Treasures Farms is centred around training these women as well as youths, and giving them skills on water harvesting, food sovereignty and environmental conservation, so as to empower them and make them in sync with nature, for sustainability. This way, they become water efficient and self sufficient, improving their families, and therefore the society at large.
Green Treasures Farms 