About Us

In 2005, a desire to invest in the young, nurture their creativity and talent and instill social values, including environmental conservation in order to bring about lasting behavioral change in society led to the starting of Teachers’ Environmental Rescue (TER) a community based organization, Over the years our main activities included tree planting, conservation of natural resources and recycling, clean environment activities and environmental advocacy through creative expression in art, music and dance, poetry and drama.

In 2018, at the behest of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, TER the CBO embarked on becoming Children’s Environmental Rescue (CER) a Non-Governmental Organization. This was to enable us to reach more and work better with young people to secure the right to a sustainable, clean and healthy world by advocating for policy changes and raising money to maintain needy young environmentalists in member schools and clubs. Our activities over the years have included- :

• Supplying tree seedlings twice a year since 2005 to schools and other institutions in our One child One Tree Afforestation Campaign where we cultivate a culture of appreciating, planting, nurturing and owning a tree. This has happened in Ruiru, Makueni, Nakuru, Nairobi and even Ley Hill Primary School in Birmingham U.K. Afforestation in public places includes churches, estate roadsides, the Children’s Forest in Prison Staff Training College Ruiru, and Kamae Girls’ Borstal Institution. Here alongside collaborators like the Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement (OISCA International)of Japan, Ruiru Sub- County Council and the former Juja CDF we have planted over 30,000 trees and we continue to plant.
• Clean environment activities, where children are taught the relationship between cleanliness and health culminating in personal cleanliness, school and neighbourhood clean-ups and an annual community clean-up. On 10th August 2019 CER held a joint clean up with Young African Leadership Initiative at the Children’s Forest in Prison Staff Training College Ruiru.
• Supporting the education of young environmentalists through our Smile Again Foundation. Beneficiaries include Isaiah Goro currently pursuing a degree in Petroleum chemistry in Kisii University, Barnabas Otieno an artisan student in Plumbing at Kiambu Institute of Science and Technology and Michael Daman who recently graduated with a Diploma in Graphic Design from Buru Buru Institute of Fine Art.
• Annual Eco –Tour to recognise and motivate our winning environmentalists and all teachers is organized to a new place every year. Places visited include the source of Ruiru River, Lake Naivasha. Gatamaiyu Forest, Nairobi National Park and Nature Trail, Giraffe Center, Karura Forest and Safaricom Headquarters.
• Annual creative environmental expression competitions in Art, Music and Dance, Drama and Poetry to test what was learned in TER club meetings. Children’s artwork speaks loudly, far and wide for environmental conservation as happened for several years when Safaricom sponsored children’s environmental calendar from 2007 to 2014.
• Participation in external competitions. Over the years numerous awards were won especially in art and essay writing including:
  • Two honourable mentions in essay writing and participation in the final 2014 Children’s debate in the UK on Sustainable Living.
  • 2015 one of our seven finalists and winners participated in the UK debate and went on to win yet again and travel for the Global Youth Eco-Leadership Summit in South Korea in January 2016.
  • In 2018 and 2019, two of our members have won themselves places and are currently pursuing their studies at the African Leadership Academy in South Africa.
  • Many others have won in local environmental essay writing and art competitions and received many awards and accolades.
  • Organizing and participating in public sensitization processions, in collaboration with partners like Ruiru Sub-County Council, NEMA, KUNEC of KU etc. In September 2019 Youth CER Pioneers participated in Global Climate Strike procession in Nairobi
  • Providing opportunities for volunteers and interns from local universities including Kenyatta University, University of Nairobi, Strathmore University and even foreign students from Berkeley California seconded by KU.
  • Collaborating with other organizations including Globetree a Swedish NGO, OISCA of Japan, Trust for Sustainable Living of the UK, KUNEC and KUCOEP of Kenyatta University, Safaricom, Story Moja, HACO Industries and many others.
  • Collaboration with the other organizations in environmental advocacy. Presentations on radio, and more recently on GBS TV, Ebru as well as memos and alerts to relevant authorities and offices are employed. In May 2011 our coordinator presented a paper on Peace with the Environment at the World Council of Churches Peace Convocation in Kingston Jamaica.