Stories of impact echoed throughout the 5th Relinked Social Impact in Action Forum, as organizations and individuals shared their best practices, innovative ideas, compelling visions for change, and sustainability commitments—offering valuable lessons for all. The sessions unpacked and explored practical ways to embed purposeful collaboration into everyday work, fostering a deeper appreciation of its role in driving meaningful impact.
- John Waimiri, Executive Director of Family Group Foundation, shared their Impact Story.
The Foundation is making a lasting difference in education, health, agriculture, youth development, enterprise, and environmental conservation. Since 2012, it has empowered thousands of young men and women through scholarships, mentorship, and vocational training—helping them transition from school to careers, including opportunities within the Family Bank network.
In partnership with the Kenya Forest Service, government, and corporates, the Foundation is restoring 240 acres of Ngong Forest, combating deforestation, creating jobs, and supporting local communities as forest custodians. Through collaborations with the Military Wives Association of Kenya (MWAK) and the Kenya Navy, it has also trained 100 youth in construction skills, equipping families with sustainable livelihoods. By championing education, skills development, and environmental stewardship, the Family Group Foundation continues to transform lives and strengthen communities across Kenya.
- Christine Amira, Sustainability Manager at Wilo Middle and Southern Africa.
Christine, a sustainability and communications leader, presented Wilo Group’s strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Wilo, a global pumps and systems manufacturer, is tackling climate and urbanisation challenges by improving water access, sanitation, and building partnerships with NGOs through the Wilo Foundation. Christine also highlighted her passion for sustainability, women’s leadership, storytelling, and creating purpose-driven impact.
She left attendees with a powerful question: “It’s 2030 and you’re reading the headlines of your national newspaper, against the backdrop of the #SustainableDevelopmentGoals achievement — what would you love to see about the impact we’ve created together?”
- Mary Wangere (EBK), Research and Development Manager at Haco Industries Kenya Ltd
Mary Wangere (EBK) highlighted the company’s vision of going beyond household presence to creating real community impact.
Haco supports farmers, mentors young minds, and plants trees to nurture the environment.
With sustainability at its core, the company advances a circular economy by recycling plastics into valuable by-products, using natural oils and biodegradable raw materials, treating wastewater, and powering production with solar energy. Every Haco product purchased helps uplift women and children, strengthen communities, and replenish the earth for future generations.
The Change-makers Stories of Impact
- Rutere Njeru & Knight Chepngetich on Green for Life (Green Africa Group)
Rutere Njeru and Knight Chepngetich of Green Africa Group introduced Green for Life by Dr. Isaac Kalua Green.
More than a memoir, the book is a movement that captures his journey from adversity to global influence in conservation, leadership, and sustainable livelihoods.
Built on the Green Philosophy—kindness, sustainability, and passion for conservation—the book inspires entrepreneurs, environmentalists, and youth to lead with purpose and resilience. Recently launched in a televised segment, Green for Life is available at greenforlife.africa and Nuria Kenya. Its message is clear: green living is about more than trees—it’s about transforming lives and communities.
- Linda Okolo Maruti -Leading Sustainability & Disability Inclusion at Kenya Airways and Beyond
Linda shared her remarkable journey of driving inclusivity and purpose within and beyond the airline.
She spoke of leading sensitization programs that reached senior executives, managers, and frontline staff—embedding awareness of diversity and inclusion across the organization. Her efforts have opened doors for persons with disabilities, with new employment opportunities and internships supported through the Mastercard Foundation, giving young people valuable mentorship and career experience.
Linda also highlighted her role in championing inclusive spaces, from enabling over 600 youth leaders to connect at the YALI LL Alumni Expo in Cape Town to fostering engagement through webinars and storytelling campaigns that reached more than 30,000 people. She has further advanced youth empowerment by donating laptops and gym equipment to Joytown Secondary School, linking students to digital skills training, and mentoring youth with disabilities through the Future Makers program.
On accessibility, Linda has spearheaded pioneering initiatives such as introducing Braille transcription and sign language on select aircraft and conducting accessibility audits across Kenya Airways premises. These efforts reflect her bold vision of making travel and workplaces more inclusive, while setting a benchmark for corporate sustainability and social impact in Africa.
Impact objectives of the other non-profits and Social Enterprises present at the forum:
- United Women’s Empowerment Programme Africa- UWEP-Africa
UWEP-Africa (United Women’s Empowerment Programme Africa) is a Nairobi-based NGO committed to transforming women’s lives by promoting agency, health, and economic independence. Its work spans socio-economic empowerment through savings groups and financial literacy, reproductive health education, community leadership, child education advocacy, nutrition and food justice, and support for survivors of gender-based violence.
Its signature initiative, Mama Twende, empowers women through table banking, savings, and investment groups—fostering financial independence, community leadership, and the ability to make autonomous life and family decisions.
- Kenya Works Organization
Kenya Works is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering vulnerable children and families across Kenya by addressing poverty and advancing human rights. Guided by its mission to help Kenyans overcome poverty and address key human rights issues. Its vision of a poverty-free Kenya with opportunities for all, the organization delivers holistic, community-based programs through four core pillars.
These include food and shelter support for children and youth, menstrual health and hygiene through the Makini Pad Initiative to end period poverty and stigma, education through school infrastructure, feeding programs, and student sponsorships, and human rights advocacy that builds community awareness and action.
- Hewatele
Hewatele is a Kenyan social enterprise revolutionizing access to medical oxygen by making it affordable, reliable, and locally available, especially in underserved areas. Operating through public-private partnerships with county governments, hospitals, and global health actors, it produces and distributes oxygen at significantly lower costs while locating plants near hospitals to cut delays and expenses.
This model has already reduced child mortality from pneumonia and strengthened maternal care. In 2024, Hewatele secured $20 million to establish East Africa’s first modern liquid oxygen plant, boosting supply for Kenya, Uganda, and Northern Tanzania. Today, it stands as a scalable blueprint for transforming emergency healthcare across the continent.
- Rainbowroom Foundation (RRF)
Rainbowroom Foundation (RRF) is a nonprofit based in Bungoma County, Kenya, empowering youth and the elderly through mentorship, education, and community development. Rooted in collaboration and skills-building, RRF delivers high-impact programs that uplift vulnerable populations.
Its initiatives include the Tweens Programme for children aged 10–13, Teen Peer Mentorship (TPM) for teenage girls focusing on health and academics, Volunteer Young Mentors (VYM) that trains young women as community mentors, and an Elderly Programme that promotes inclusion, dignity, and wellbeing for those aged 65+.
From book clubs and recreational camps to mentorship networks and elderly engagement, Rainbowroom Foundation continues to inspire hope and foster meaningful community connections in Bungoma.
- The Action Foundation
The Action Foundation Kenya has made significant strides in disability inclusion, education, health, and advocacy, impacting thousands of lives across the country. Their key achievements include launching an inclusive care and referral directory for affordable therapy services, training caregivers in low-income communities through the Tunza Program, and expanding STEM education for girls with disabilities through the globally recognized Ibuka Program.
TAF has also improved foundational learning through Somesha, advanced disability integration in Kenya’s health system, and amplified women’s voices through the global anthology Reclaiming Power.
With community centers rooted in informal settlements like Kibera, Mukuru, Mathare, and Kawangware, TAF continues to break barriers and build inclusive, resilient communities where children and youth with disabilities can thrive.
- The Kilgoris Project
The Kilgoris Project (TKP) is transforming lives in rural Maasai communities through education, nutrition, and community empowerment. TKP operates 12 schools serving 1,775 children, ensuring they start school at the right age and stay enrolled. Remarkably, all graduates from TKP schools qualify for high school, with some ranking in the top 5% nationally.
Beyond the classroom, TKP provides 540,000 meals annually, clean water, and access to healthcare, ensuring students are healthy and able to learn. The organization also empowers communities by employing over 90 local staff and making schools hubs for gatherings, worship, and ceremonies. Through school gardens and sustainable businesses, TKP promotes resilience and self-reliance, building brighter futures for Maasai children and their families.
- Circleg
Circleg Kenya is a social enterprise transforming prosthetic care by combining circular economy principles with inclusive, human-centered design. Using recycled plastics reinforced with glass fibers, Circleg creates durable, affordable prosthetics that reduce waste while restoring mobility and dignity. Its Nairobi hub serves as both a manufacturing and training center, involving amputees in co-design and equipping technicians with the skills to deliver locally relevant solutions.
With a goal to reach 7,000 amputees in East Africa within three years, Circleg is already changing lives—helping people return to work, regain independence, and rebuild livelihoods through sustainable innovation.
- Educate!
Educate! is transforming education across East Africa by equipping youth with practical skills to thrive in today’s economy. Operating in 1,775+ schools across Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania, it delivers employment-focused learning and livelihood bootcamps for young women, doubling student income potential and empowering graduates with entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and life skills. With 98% of its 600+ staff and mentors based in Africa, Educate! partners with governments to embed scalable, sustainable solutions that tackle youth unemployment and drive long-term impact.
- Umoja Foundation
Umoja Foundation has been serving orphaned and vulnerable children in Kisumu West for over 17 years, transforming lives through education, nutrition, housing, and empowerment.
The foundation provides tuition and school supplies, over 5,500 school lunches annually, and has built 185+ homes for families in need. Its GET UP program empowers girls through advocacy, leadership, and the distribution of sanitary supplies to 1,500+ girls each year. With initiatives ranging from psychosocial support to community libraries and guardian-led projects, Umoja fosters resilience, equity, and sustainable community growth—truly changing communities one child at a time.
- Ngong Road Children’s Foundation
Ngong Road Children’s Foundation (NRCF) is a Kenyan nonprofit transforming the lives of vulnerable children in Nairobi through education, life skills, and career development, empowering them to become self-reliant adults.
Since its founding, NRCF has sponsored over 500 children, provided healthcare and counseling, and offered digital literacy training through its Elimu Hub. With a 98% secondary school completion rate and more than 100 alumni now thriving in fields like IT, business, and healthcare, NRCF is breaking the cycle of poverty.
- Lightup Impact
Lightup Impact is a nonprofit empowering early-stage grassroots leaders—especially women and youth—across East Africa to drive change in health, gender equity, and education.
They focus on shifting power to local changemakers through skills development, trust-based partnerships, governance support, and visibility. Instead of running projects directly, Lightup Impact strengthens grassroots organizations tackling issues like menstrual health, youth empowerment, education, and gender-based violence, helping them scale impact and meet donor standards. Their annual flagship event, Lightup Impact Days in Nairobi, convenes leaders, funders, and partners to spark collaboration and ignite systems change.
- Mtoto News
Mtoto News is a pioneering child-centered digital media platform in Kenya that amplifies children’s voices and connects them to decision-makers through technology. More than a news outlet, it’s a movement for child rights and participation—creating and sharing child-focused content, training youth in media and advocacy, and conducting research on issues affecting children.
From tackling child protection, education, and mental health to exploring digital safety and AI’s impact, Mtoto News ensures children are part of the conversation. With webinars, multimedia storytelling, and active engagement across platforms, it continues to shape policy, challenge harmful practices, and champion children’s rights locally and globally.
These impact stories spotlight how communities are being transformed through sustainable innovation, inclusive education, health access, youth empowerment, and grassroots leadership. Together, they reveal the power of resilience, collaboration, and creativity in driving lasting social change.
