AYUDH Kenya cleans up slum

Saturday 28th March 2009 marked the first project undertaken by AYUDH Kenya. Approximately 150 youth participated in a cleanup at the Maringo Estate off Jogoo Road in Eastlands part of Nairobi. The clean-up was headed by Brahmachari Shantamrita Chaitanya and was done in cooperation with the World Sports Ministries Group of Kenya.

The aim of the project was to enable youth from various cultures, religions, and social backgrounds to unite and collectively participate to clean up the Maringo Area. AYUDH also expected to create awareness about the new youth wing of Amrita Centre Kenya and inspire more youth to come forward and join the group, in order to contribute positively to the numerous challenges faced in Kenya.

The event kicked off with a brief talk by Br. Shantamrita Chaitanya followed by a team building exercise. The participants were split up into groups of 8-10 people. The cleanup lasted approximately 2 hours during which the streets and a number of blocked drainage systems were cleared. A total of 62 bags of trash were collected.

Most of the focus during the cleanup was on collecting plastic materials. Majority of the pollution being caused was due to plastic materials, which do not decompose and hence cause blockages to the drains and do a lot of harm to the environment and to the people living in the area.

The youngsters were astounded to see the amount of plastic waste that was disposed off in the area due to the lack of knowledge regarding the dangers posed by the accumulation of the waste material so close to people’s homes. Some of the drains that were cleared had been blocked for months. This exposes the people living in the area to a number of fatal diseases and it was shocking to see a number of children in the area play so close to these stagnant water bodies.

AYUDH also identified a new project opportunity for the area – the football pitch was completely bare with no grass and not enough trees. Therefore the youngsters want to go back and plant some grass and trees on the pitch.

After the cleanup, the local community arranged a short dance spectacle for all, which was very entertaining. Some of the AYUDH members joined in on the dances. Once the dances were over, there was a football (soccer) match between the AYUDH members and the local football team. The atmosphere was great, however, AYUDH Kenya were outclassed. Nevertheless, it was a fitting end to a successful event. AYUDH presented medals to the winners.

Through their project, AYUDH Kenya not only improved the living conditions of thousands, but also educated the youth of Maringo slum about the need to maintain a clean environment and demonstrated that as the future generation we have the duty to restore and protect Nature. From now on, youth living in the slum will regularly visit the cleared areas to ensure the neighborhood remains clean and green.

The success of the project has inspired AYUDH Kenya to continue moving forward and to encourage more youth to join the movement. As the future generation, the youth has the duty to restore and protect the environment. AYUDH Kenya’s planned projects for the coming year include: Tree planting and focusing on the kids at the Amrita Centre Orphanage being built in Kenya. AYUDH will set up a library for them, have fun days for the kids, and start a vegetable garden for them.

During Amma’s visit to Nairobi on April 12th & 13th, 2009, AYUDH presented Amma with one of the medals given to the winning team at the end of the soccer match at Maringo slum with the words: “We present this medal to Amma, who is our true hero and the winner of our hears.”

May Amma’s example of love and compassion continue to inspire countless youth around the world to unite in the spirit of selfless service, crossing cultural and religious borders and work towards a common goal.