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Cleaner cities with

Riviera Travel

A project funded by your travel bookings

Waste management is a huge challenge in Kenya

We’ve partnered with Riviera Travel to tackle this.

Kisumu is Kenya’s third largest city. With only an estimated 39% of waste collected and disposed of safely, that leaves 5 tonnes of plastic to leak into the environment every day.

As more people migrate towards urban centres like Kisumu, it’s vital that we have the right systems in place to handle waste disposal and protect people and the planet.

Several people wearing reflective vests clean a roadside drainage ditch and collect debris in bags and a handcart on a cobblestone street in an urban area.

Cleaner Cities, Brighter Futures

We’re working with Kisumu City residents to hold community cleanup projects in waste hotspots and promote more sustainable behaviours such as household waste separation.

Support from Riviera Travel passengers is helping us provide training and equipment to informal waste workers who once worked under threat of arrest.

With better recognition for their essential role, and access to a network of traders and processing plants, waste workers can work in safety and dignity to improve the efficiency of waste collection services for everyone.

But there’s more work to be done.

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A game-changing waste management initiative empowers Kenyan communities to embrace cleaner cities and brighter futures.
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    Practical Action logo on a white background.
    Who are Practical Action?

    Practical Action is an international development group, building sustainable lives and livelihoods on the frontlines of poverty and climate change.

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    Riviera Travel logo on a white background.
    What’s this partnership about?

    Riviera Travel chose Practical Action as a charity partner to further their investment in new solutions to clean up rivers and other waste hotspots in Kenya.

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    Two men wearing reflective vests and red gloves lift a blue container filled with plant debris in front of a brick wall.
    How can I help?

    A donation to Practical Action will support people around the world in tackling their toughest challenges.

    Donate now

This partnership is a testament to the idea that the travel experience can extend beyond sightseeing and exploration; it can be a force for good.

Akinyi Walendar, Practical Action’s Africa Director

This project, when completed, will

  • Reach over 2,000 households to remove 67 tonnes of plastic from the environment over two years, recycling around 33 tonnes – the equivalent of three rubbish trucks.
  • Reduce waste dumping in key areas of the city, including the Auji River.
  • Improve waste collection by connecting informal waste workers with recycling centres, traders, and processing facilities.
  • Work with local government and waste collectors to encourage people to separate their waste at home and adopt better habits across the city.
  • Organise clean-up events and awareness campaigns to boost participation in waste collection and promote recycling at household level.
  • Provide training and safety equipment to over 300 informal waste workers, and support them in forming co-operatives for fairer pay, safer conditions, and stronger workers’ rights.
  • Partner with the Kenya Plastics Pact to help reduce plastic packaging waste across the country.

We are thrilled to support Practical Action’s waste management project in Kisumu through this collaboration. Our goal is to support work or practices that enhance the health and well-being of the community and contribute to the region’s sustainability. We are confident that this partnership will help amplify the voices of communities on the front line of the climate crisis.

Phil Hullah, Riviera Travel’s Chief Executive Officer

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