News & stories

In Kisumu City’s informal settlements—where access to formal waste services is patchy and rivers have long served as dumpsites—change is quietly taking root. The Clean Rivers, Clean Homes initiative is transforming the way waste is managed in the city’s poorest areas. Over the past six months, thousands of residents in neighbourhoods like Nyalenda, Manyatta and Obunga have begun sorting waste at home, informal waste collectors have received business training, and the once-choked River Auji is beginning to flow cleaner again.

Over the next three years, farmers and rural communities will receive support to build stronger, more resilient farming livelihoods, despite the most challenging conditions of Sudan’s Gedarif, Kassala and North Darfur regions. Our projects – one resuming after interruption, and one new – will particularly focus on supporting women and young people from agricultural households with vocational training and access to financial opportunities. From this, families will be better equipped to build stable lives and livelihoods.

Every year, Earth Day reminds us that small actions can create big change. This year’s theme, Our Power, Our Planet, highlights the role of renewable energy in building a better future. For Jecintha Maina in Kenya, renewable energy is her passion and her career. She’s helping families switch to cleaner cooking and lighting solutions, proving that sustainable energy can transform lives.

Sudden cuts to the USAID budget mean thousands of people affected by civil war and climate change are not receiving the support they have been promised. At the time of writing, a programme in Sudan supporting displaced people and farming families by improving food production and bringing clean water to villages hosting thousands of internally displaced people is on hold.

In a world where women farmers are often overlooked, Sudanese women are reshaping the future of farming—and Muna Eltahir, our Sudan Country Director, is working tirelessly to amplify their voices.

In Mugombwa, Rwanda, a new project is helping young farmers in refugee camps and nearby communities improve their lives. The work will focus on empowering young people, women, and marginalised groups by boosting agricultural production and creating sustainable jobs.

In the heart of East Africa, where refugees and communities living near to their camps face daily struggles for basic resources, a new initiative is offering hope. The research based SUNNY Project started in June 2024 and will light the way toward a green energy future for people who are struggling to adapt to climate change in Uganda and Rwanda.

A brand-new enterprise hub is set to transform the way refugees and residents living in and around Rwanda’s largest refugee camp can earn a living.

Practical Action has welcomed a UK government commitment to a £113m package of support for the people of Sudan.