You may have heard about the value of collaborating with others. I suspect you and I can probably point to several examples of collaborative projects within the world of environmental education. Today we’ll see an example of what cross-sector collaborations can look like as we learn about partnerships from guest Dinah Awino Kawino.
Dinah Awino Kawino is the founder and director of Akadi Eco and Mentorship Ventures.
Akadi Eco is a consulting firm based in Kenya. It focuses on bringing environmental mentorship and sustainability solutions to educational and community spaces.
This year, Akadi Eco is leading an initiative called Pendo Mazingira. Pendo Mazingira is Swahili for "Love Environment."
Awino describes this program as “an eco-sensitivity mentorship program designed to cultivate a sense of environmental belonging through nature-based sensory experiences.” Pendo Mazingira serves both youth and adults.
How is the program working?
Let’s find out.
SUBSTACK: Pendo Mazingira Substack - AkadiEco and Mentorship Ventures Kenya
PANEL DISCUSSION:
Empowering Women in Science: Bridging Gaps and Building Futures
Interesting and honest conversation about being a woman in science. Awino's presentation begins at timestamp 57:22. Her presentation is titled, Empowering Women and Girls: Disrupting Fear-based Silence for Thriving Sustainability Science. This is a presentation by LIAISE.
BOOK:
Weaving a Green Future: Opportunities and Barriers in Textile Manufacturing in Kenya (Eliva Press, 2025)
ARTICLES:
Closing the Loop: A framework for tackling single-use plastic waste in the food and beverage industry through circular economy - a review (Journal of Environmental Management)
Challenges and Opportunities for Green Transitions Adoption in Kenya's Textile Manufacturing Industry (Frontiers in Sustainability)
Assessment of Green Growth Practices in the Textile Industry: A Study of Thika Cloth Mill and Rivatex in Kenya (East African Journal of Environment and Natural Resources)
LEADERSHIP:
The Green Embassy Kenya
Tania Marien: Awino thank you so much for being on the show today. We've had, other conversations about your work overall and about your current project, and I . I am thrilled to introduce you to listeners today and to talk about your project.
Tania Marien: You, um, do Pull a lot of amazing work and what stands out to me about how you work is just, um, how you work with partners and how you reach out to your community. And so I'm excited to, , to show people how you work with partners about all of your community work and all the many things that you've, um.
Tania Marien: Been involved with. And so if we can start at the beginning, uh, could you introduce yourself and tell listeners a little bit about your background?
Dinah Awino Kawino: Such a thrill to be here, Tania. Thank you for hosting me. Um, my name is Awino Kawino. I go with Dinah as well.
Dinah Awino Kawino: So Dinah Awino Kawino is my name. I was born here in Kenya, and, uh, particularly come from the Lake Region. Um, actually a Luo and Nilote I'm very proud. I am a young person myself. I did my, uh, studies at the, at a preparatory school in Kenya called Maxwell. Then proceeded to my secondary school studies in a national school called Kisumu Girls.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And then I proceeded to Kenyatta University from, for my Bachelor's, at the department of, environmental, sciences, then proceeded. For my Master's still at Kenyatta University. Um, I'm also a young mother, very proud, and I'm very happy to be here. I'm the founder of a Akadi Eco and Mentorship Ventures, and I'm very proud to talk to you today, Tania.
Tania Marien: Well, thank you. Thank you for being here. Uh, can you tell us a little bit about Akadi Eco and the, consultancy that you started? Because a lot of your work, it revolves around the, that work, your consultancy and, and all of your partnerships and the many, many different ways that your partnerships happen is based around that.
Tania Marien: So, can you tell us how you started Akadi Eco.
Dinah Awino Kawino: All right. Thank you so much. So Akadi Eco is actually a creative name. Um, I went through a creative program with JZ and it inspired me to, uh, develop a creative angle to my name. So Akadi just abbreviations of my name and Eco is central to my work. I started this in 2022, started as an initiative.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I was working with old people, inspired by my uncle who stays in Homabay County. I started working with old people who are weaving baskets. I was very, interested in baskets because it was at the time when I was trying to understand if we can stop using plastics. I was. Just getting to know about polyesters and I was not very happy with how we are using a lot of plastics.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And so being in the textile space, I started noticing that we can actually start embracing natural fibers. So I started working with, uh, old people weaving baskets, started creating baskets, baskets for children, baskets for young people. Actually young people are the ones who love, uh, a lot of sustainability work.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And they were my greatest, uh, supporters. And proceeded to work with old women as well in a market called Kariokor Market here in Kenya. And I partnered specifically then with Dr. Manuel Lonfat. He's the founder of Quambio. It's a carbon app. Uh, I started, uh, selling this baskets to Switzerland. So, uh, Dr. Manuel Lonfat created a market for me, but then I felt something was missing 'cause I was an environmental educator as well and I felt like I'm not educating, people are buying these baskets. Sometimes I'm giving them for free, even to offices who need, uh, some green branding.
Dinah Awino Kawino: 'cause I was also in the space of green branding and. I just wanted to, to, to couple it with education because then that is when we can change attitudes and minds towards environmentalism because I don't, I didn't wanna lose that. And so I said to myself that I have to make Akadi Eco service based. I have to sell the service.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I have to move with the service instead of the product, and I have to stop, um, creating materials when people are buying. They do not understand why they're buying the materials. What is the inspiration? And so I started creating programs for education such that if you would buy the basket, I would, I would put some, um, small cards for you to read around it.
Dinah Awino Kawino: To learn about nature, to learn about why this matters to me. And, and that is what changed me because previously I used to be Akadi Sisal and then I became Akadi Eco because I felt Akadi Eco encompasses the education that I'm very passionate about.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Mm-hmm.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I didn't wanna lose that. I didn't wanna lose that. And so I, I just felt that if people get to know why they buy what they buy, then they can be better stewards of the environment and they're gonna be less materialistic and more ecocentric. And so I started building Akadi Eco from there. To date.
Tania Marien: Mm-hmm.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Uh, I've worked with several partners differently, particularly academia, which is where most of my partners are. I've also worked a lot with the nonprofit, uh, which is where I actually started my journey as an environmental professional. And then I've also worked with youth groups to date. I work with youth groups a lot, but I don't want to forget a very strong stakeholder, which is faith.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I've worked with Faith for the longest time. I mean, even before I started at Akadi Sisal / Akadi Eco, I was working with Faith. I was training parents, I was training teenagers, and I used to get a lot of requests from members of the faith telling me that I need to take them for nature walks 'cause. Environmentalist. So very few in my local church.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And, uh, I truly started finding my passion in the ecotheology aspects, green transitions and environmental education. So within that nexus, I belong.
Tania Marien: Yes. That's, it's, it's beautiful. I love how you, how you explain that within that nexus, that's where you belong. Yes, yes. And your work definitely reflects that.
Tania Marien: , And I'm also wanted to tell listeners that your Master's project, focused on green growth practices in the textile industry. And that, um, started, I, I assume around the same time as a Akadi, Or just before,
Dinah Awino Kawino: So my first employment was in a company called Nayaah Africa Limited.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And I got my first salary and when I got my first salary, I wanted to buy a green product. That was in 2018. That was when I was first employed officially. And, uh, I went to a shop. I looked for something that is very green and I found a sisal bag. I bought two of them and one of them I gave it to my mom.
Dinah Awino Kawino: She has it to date, and that's when I started loving sisals. I started loving sisals although I did not start Akadi Sisals then. You are right. I started my Akadi Sisals just when I was starting my masters. Uh, not really starting, but when I was in between my research, uh, masters, that's when I started Akadi Sisals. But then my research compelled me because I got to learn a lot about materials.
Dinah Awino Kawino: You know, in the textile space there are a lot of materials. Some are synthetic and some are organic and eco-friendly, and I was very interested in learning more. That is why I selected that topic of green growth practices in textile manufacturing mills in Kenya. The reason why I also benchmark with the manufacturing sector is because the manufacturing sector is.
Dinah Awino Kawino: The leader of our GDP, you know, it's, it's, it's the one that generates revenue. And so I felt if the change can start from there, then it would trickle down to the whole of our society, because these are the leaders who determine our economic models. My focus was mostly on the organic materials, and particularly I was interested in three, the cotton, the sisals, and the reeds. The reeds are actually in my hometown. That is where I started learning from my uncle about this. I even did some videos. 'cause uh, later on I got somebody who asked me to go train some women on how to do read baskets.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And I got a lot of customers actually who would buy this, read baskets. We mixed, we mixed them with cow D and then we used the inner read to create the baskets. It's just like basketry. But then my main, uh, aim was to see if we can embrace organic manufacturing. You know, I know this is farfetched, but I was just trying to find out that also as I was doing my research, can it be organic in every way because the indigenous people in my community, in HOA Bay, led by my uncle are doing the read baskets.
Dinah Awino Kawino: In a very sustainable way using very little water, little energy, little forestry, little natural resources. So can we, can we translate that into a whole manufacturing process? So, um, my topic really exposed me to a lot of things actually when I was starting this research.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Uh. My respondents told me we are very happy that finally an environmentalist is in this space in Kenya. There has been very little attention given to us, and we are very happy that finally you've come here in the textile space to benchmark with us. Also, just wanted to say that I learned with textile, but the concept of green growth can be, can be replicated and learned in any sector.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Any sector, yes.
Tania Marien: Mm-hmm. That's wonderful. Wonderful. I always learn something new about your story every time we speak. And, um, I am just always, um, in so in inspired and so admire the work that you've done as a student and the work that you've done now as, um, with Akadi Eco and now the work that you are doing with Pendo Mazingira.
Tania Marien: And so, can you tell us a little bit about your new program and your new initiative for this year?
Dinah Awino Kawino: Wow. So I'm just gonna say yay for Pendo. I mean, Pendo is. Is everything right now for me. Um, you know, uh, at the heart of, uh, at the heart of Awino Kawino is values. And one of my greatest values is love. I just love love because love is everything.
Dinah Awino Kawino: So I've worked a lot in, um, environmental centers. I've worked a lot in communities, and I feel like what we're lacking is just love, and it's just love for nature, you know? And when I, when I connected that I, I just found passion for Pendo. So Pendo started, uh, when I was just trying to reflect about, uh, the disconnections that I've experienced as a person.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I've lived a lot in disconnection and trying to find the missing link. Uh, when I, when I started my, my bachelor's, I was called, uh, by the government. So I did my, my, my examinations. I passed, I got a calling letter saying that you've been called to Kenyatta University to do a bachelor's degree in environmental education.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And I immediately told my mother, mom, I don't wanna be an environmentalist. I'm, I think I'm gonna change my course and I'm gonna be an engineer. So I, I got an A in physics, I have to be an engineer. Why did they call me an environment? So I was battling with it, and my mom told me, okay, so when you go to campus, just do what you wanna do.
Dinah Awino Kawino: If you feel like changing it, it's fine. Just fast, go and settle in, and then you can change your course to a different course. That's fine. I support. Mm-hmm. So when I got to university. We got our, our, our timelines for the classes. And so I started my first units, um, my first class I remember I met a friend of mine called Karen.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And, uh, she was also a student in the same class. So we went and attended the first class, and then the first class was touching on philosophies of environmental education. And I was like, oh my God, what course is this? You know, I, I had all that negativity around environmental courses. 'cause I, I, I didn't, I didn't have a connection.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I didn't have a connection at all. So I struggled with this for two years. Up to my second year. The person who started making me, um, find a connection to environment is one of my professors who has also mentored me. Her name is Dr. Everlyne Wemali PhD And she taught me, she taught me about environmental techniques, that she's the first person who brought about the aspects of attitudes on environment and how you need knowledge to understand attitudes and take action.
Dinah Awino Kawino: That is when I started understanding environment is actually very important, but I suffered a lot of, I, uh, disciplinary chauvinism. I suffered a lot of disciplinary chauvinism, and I was very, very scared of sharing that, uh, the course that I'm doing to people. Mm-hmm. I think people would ask me, what are you studying?
Dinah Awino Kawino: And I would be like, I'm just in ku, I'm just in Kenyatta University. I'm just studying. I was not proud for a very long time, but then when I kept learning with Dr. Wemali and then I started. Uh, experiencing environmental, uh, field trips. I started loving the environment and then something special happened. I started talking to my dad about it and my dad told me something about myself, which I didn't know.
Dinah Awino Kawino: He told me, do you know when we used to travel with you to the rural, you really used to love nature? In fact, you would tell me, please stop. Please stop at Kericho. Kericho is a tea growing area in Kenya. Please stop at Kericho dad. I want to see the green. I want to see the green. And my dad said, you know, even if you don't like that course, God gave you the course that you love.
Dinah Awino Kawino: 'cause we've seen you growing and how you love green. This is the course that was meant for you. So that's settled in. And then I started. Doing attachments with the Kenya Wildlife Services. I was in the environmental education section. I started guiding tourists, uh, who had come in and I was speaking through with one of the guides on ecological, uh, importance of each animal.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And then I started loving the environment. I was like, wow, it's not the way we see it. So Pendo has come from that. . I called Pendo an old soul that found its meaning when it was too old because Pendo should have started a long time ago.
Dinah Awino Kawino: But Pendo started when I finally connected the dots. Pendo is a connection of disconnection to connection, and I understand how somebody can be disconnected from nature. Imagine I was so close to the environment as an environmental student, but I was still disconnected from nature. Pendo is for anybody who feels something or someone disconnected them from nature, and so they're not able to experience the environmentalism that is required, especially now when we are talking about water stress, land fragmentation, air pollution, and they're just disconnected from that conversation because they do not connect with nature at all.
Dinah Awino Kawino: In fact, when I say this, I feel like crying because we have a lot of disconnection in our communities. You see somebody just opening the tap. They're leaving it open, not thinking about tomorrow. You've gone to industries. I've gone to industries, sorry. Where I've seen interpretive science switch off the lights, but nobody's following that.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Because I don't connect with nature, I do not understand why I need to conserve. I do not understand why I need to be a good steward. That is the foundation of Pendo. Yes, but above all, I call Pendo a miracle program because Pendo is very playful. Pendo is not serious. Pando is very simple. Pendo is based on values, on empathy, and largely connection from the lost disconnection because each of us has experienced nature.
Dinah Awino Kawino: The air we breathed fast when we were born. The tears that we experience whenever we are in pain. As a young mother, I saw my child, um, crying for the first time that those are tears and that's water. So actually our bodies are made of water. We experience nature every day, but that disconnection must be met by Pendo.
Tania Marien: Just, beautiful. absolutely beautiful. Why do you think there's a disconnection from nature and in particular, two things you said that, uh, stood out to me. One is the environmental students. You said as an environmental student you were not connected to nature.
Tania Marien: Do you think that was the case with other environmental students? I mean, why do you think. What is it about the program, their experiences or life experiences, contributes to that disconnection.
Tania Marien: I.
Tania Marien: You first mentioned that there's this a hesitation in claiming environmental education as an interest I've.
Tania Marien: Felt that tension as well. And I suspect that there are others who also feel that tension. And I know, at least for me, I can only speak for myself, is that sometimes it's just too much to ex explain. I mean, oh, no one's, it just feel like nobody gets you. That's how I feel.
Tania Marien: And so what do you think is the, what contributes to the impression of what environmental education is or what environmental educators do?
Tania Marien: All
Dinah Awino Kawino: right, so first and foremost, um, I was very sad when I went to. Kenyata University, and I found out that the course was actually merged to another course, and I don't know why it was merged, but I've also had interactions with some of my former classmates and some of them have gone to different fields for capacity because they believe in integrating environmental education to another field that is more strong.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I'm just quoting somebody. It then finds value in our current society. To be honest, I will tell you that environmental education needs masters of integration, masters of interdisciplinary. And masters of Mainstreaming. We have to know how to mainstream, we have to know how to integrate it into systems. It needs system thinking.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Yes. While it can be a standalone, let me just confess, I was able to unpack my whole environmental education course just after I finished my Masters.
Dinah Awino Kawino: . Um, my environmental education was stronger, is stronger. Now that I've been able to understand it deeply and, uh, what sparked the in-depth, uh, understanding of the environmental education program that I went through, despite having a degree was the experiences.
Dinah Awino Kawino: So experiential learning really worked for me. And, uh, I think we need to merge environmental education with professional field experiences or rather professional engagements. If it's a standalone, theoretical and very classroom oriented, then becomes very static. And when it's merged with amazing experiences, it becomes.
Dinah Awino Kawino: A powerful force of change in our societies and communities. I think I'm naturally a proactive person. Um, I've kind of slowed down now 'cause I'm a mother, but I'm very proactive and I think that is what helped me because I always wanted to confirm classroom knowledge with what is happening out there.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And whenever I would learn in a classroom, oh, I've learned about animal welfare and the five freedoms of animals, then I would always sign up to those field trips to go see the animal orphanages, the animal parks. If I would learn about plants, I would go to a plant center. Actually, I've interacted with the botanist and she, she amazed me 'cause she's mastered all the plants and.
Dinah Awino Kawino: That was amazing. So we need to see that. I think the seeing is what we are missing out as trainers. So if I would go back to my university to demonstrate or to, to, to, to, to say what would, what would work best, I would say that we need, the students need more seeing and more experiences and more hands on to back up the education they've already gotten from their classroom.
Tania Marien: Yes, you explained that so well and that's, I think a lot of people see that and I see, see that as well, which is my motivation for the transferable solution. You know, the, the newsletter and just the work in general and talking to so many people from so many different fields. I mean, you, you just explained that beautifully.
Tania Marien: Yes. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, there's a lot to, a lot to work on, uh, as a group, uh, collectively, all of us together. .
Tania Marien: So, um, let's talk about Pendo. You mentioned that it is based on a series of values, and when we spoke earlier, you listed, you outlined for me all the different values. , Can you walk us through the values that, um, are behind Pendo?
Tania Marien: Thank you. Mm-hmm.
Dinah Awino Kawino: So first and foremost, I just wanted to say that Pendo is. A program that can travel. And Pendo is inspired by protection of nature and love for nature, and it wants, wants to engage. But the values of Pendo are, are rooted in regeneration. They're rooted in, uh, sustainability. They're rooted in, uh, engagement and experiential engagement.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Um, I've actually been, uh, revisiting Pendo a lot just to see, am I, am I really achieving what? We wanted Penda to achieve. Are we really achieving what we wanted Penda to drive in our societies? Pendo. Pendo wants to drive appreciation for nature Pendo. Pendo wants to drive an intrinsic value for nature.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Pendo wants to give you a powerful experience for nature, and it wants to change how you interact with nature. And lastly, Pendo wants to build a relational and engagement for you to experience nature, not just as an asset but nature as an ally. In fact, I will quote
Dinah Awino Kawino: Dr. Stephen Cornelius.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Who was the deputy global lead for climate and energy in the WWF in 2022.
Dinah Awino Kawino: He said, nature is the greatest climate ally, but natural systems are being pushed beyond their limits by the unrelenting pressure from climate change, pollution over exploitation and ecosystem conversion. Nature is alive, and that is what we believe in. Pendo.
Tania Marien: I hope that covers the value. Yes, it it does, it does. Earlier you had explained how you instill a love for land and a love for. Blue, our blue skies and, uh, love of air and, uh, water and wildlife. And how you host different conversations and experiences around, uh, all these different, different values.
Tania Marien: And so what does a Pendo program look like? Can you walk us through an example and something that you do, with your communities or with your schools and the people that you interact with
Dinah Awino Kawino: yes. So before I go to that, let me just give a background. Pendo is actually, um, inspired by my research.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Uh, when you go online, uh, in the Journal of East Africa Nature, you're gonna see my, one of my publications. And I'm also doing a second publication with Frontiers of Sustainability. Um, I've also done a book, actually it should be in Amazon in the next one week. And, uh, Pendo focuses on eight elements of nature.
Dinah Awino Kawino: These elements are. Actually evidence-based, because I did a research and I found out that we actually interact with land, with air, with the sky, with water, with natural resources, with energy, with forests. Pendo wants to create experiences of connection for these elements. These are the elements that everyone interacts with.
Dinah Awino Kawino: So Pendo is actually very inclusive, creates spaces for you to experience water. The love for water. I call it Pendo Maji In Swahili, it creates spaces for you to experience land. The love for land, I call it Pendo. It created. It creates spaces for you to experience the air, the love for air. Pendo Hewa. It creates spaces for you to experience the sky.
Dinah Awino Kawino: The sky is actually a very beautiful ecosystem. We call it Pendo Anga to create spaces for you to experience plants, loving plants. I call it Pendo Mimea It creates spaces for you to experience forests, love forests. I call it Pendo Miti It creates spaces for you to experience the love for natural resources.
Dinah Awino Kawino: In Swahili, I call it Pendo Rasilmali ya asili.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And lastly, it's the umbrella of it all to create spaces for you to love the environment. I call it Pendo Mazingira. This is a program that moves either as single element, I call it an elemental nature program, or sometimes it moves collectively, but it's been very difficult to do it collectively because some people want to experience just aspects of it.
Dinah Awino Kawino: They would prioritize, they would prioritize water, they would prioritize air, or they would prioritize something different. I have been able to, um. Create, uh, a Pendo, which is in English Love Plants Program, with actually a program that I've been engaged with. Uh, this is an example, uh, since last week. And a Pendo Mimea, which I actually forgot to mention, which is Love Animals.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Um, I did, I did something for them. Uh, last week. We were experiencing Pendo Mimea and Pendo Wanyama, which is love plants and love animals. So everybody in the room would say, uh, the animal they want to be and why, and why that animal makes them feel grounded. So other people selected rabbits and they would say that it's because it's a clever animal.
Dinah Awino Kawino: They would just appreciate it. Others would say the snake, because it's sneaky and it likes shedding off, and they would borrow lessons from it on. We were able to go through a session where we were creating a daily plan and we were learning from the plant. So people would talk about photosynthesis, for example.
Dinah Awino Kawino: They would say, when a plant wakes up, it converts sunlight into energy, and then it puts out its leaves so that they can absorb the sun, and we would reflect. So how does that connect to you as a person?
Dinah Awino Kawino: One of the things I believe in is we cannot appreciate what we don't connect with in one way or another. 'cause for me, for me to experience Pendo myself, I had to connect with. Actually my Pendo, my Pendo journey started with animals. My Pendo journey started with Pendo Wanyama and I really connected with animals and I would, I would not even heart a fly because I would understand it has a place in nature and its place cannot be replaced that give me eco empathy.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Pendo can take forms of sessions. Pendo can take forms of workshops. Pendo can take forms of motivational talks, actually do ecomotivational talks. Pendo can take forms of career talks. Pendo can take form, can take forms of research, because sometimes I contribute from a research lens. I work with volunteers as well.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Pendo can take forms of books, actually trying to put together a series, I'm sure you're gonna be the first to know, and Pendo takes the form of creative art. So recently I've been trying to collaborate with young people to to sing, to sing songs that are connecting to nature, and that is how you can experience Pendo because I created Pendo for us to experience the the love that is unmet or lost or numbed, or quiet or silent.
Dinah Awino Kawino: Basically I created Pendo so that we can experience the disconnect. That we have with nature. It could be personal, it could be collective in a community. And lastly, recently I'm also, uh, preparing for the International Day of Play for Children, which is happening next week. And I'm gonna be doing Pendo Nature Games, uh, with, with children.
Dinah Awino Kawino: So I'm very excited about that. I'm gonna maybe, uh, share some, pictures. And Pendo is just beautiful. It's just beautiful. Um, so it could take any form. Another episode is where I was working with an author. And she wanted to experience Pendo.
Dinah Awino Kawino: And uh, we went together through her book and I was able to highlight, uh, ways she can incorporate Pendo Mazingira love for nature in the social work that she's doing with children in the UK. And actually she did a substack of, of, of Pendo, and I was very inspired. Her, her name is Lisa Parkes. So I'm just gonna share a link to this Substack as well.
Tania Marien: , Please do share, share the links. , Pendo is a beautiful, inclusive program with so many points of entry. It's was created so thoughtfully and allows. People to come to nature in their own way. It's just, just lovely. And you mentioned the interdisciplinary nature, cross sector nature, uh, of the program, and also of the need to do more interdisciplinary outreach work partnerships.
Tania Marien: Can you offer one example of a partnership that you have with, you know, with someone or an entity in the field outside of what we know is, you know, traditional environmental education?
Dinah Awino Kawino: Yes. So, um, , I've worked with, uh, people who are in the social sustainability space, just working with women and gender, and Pendo has helped them to create, like, for example, the organization I just mentioned called FOTR Africa, uh, has able to experience Pendo, uh, to help them connect their members so that they can support the social sustainability work.
Dinah Awino Kawino: . So we've also done Pendo with a program called the WRAP Program, which is a social wellness recovery program, and they wanted to see how Pendo can support, uh, environmental connections and support recovery for wellness for those people who are in substance abuse, people who are in addictions, and how connections for nature can help them find this recovery.
Tania Marien: Beautiful. Okay. So like I mentioned earlier, your, your energy and your commitment to partnering stands out and the many projects you've been involved with in are just. It's really just amazing and the work that you've done. I have a copy of your, um, paper about your green growth practices in the textile industry.
Tania Marien: I'll definitely link to that in the show notes. Um, so beginning with this paper and your assessment of how, uh, textile mills work in Kenya and your master's work and the many other ways that you contribute to, work with, and support, um, all the many partnerships that you've shared with me, it's a huge list.
Tania Marien: I can tell you listeners that it's a, it's a really, it's a long list and now your work with Pendo, it's just been, um, so, uh, wonderful to learn about your work and what you do and what you're doing right now. And you mentioned you have a book coming out soon, which is fantastic. So you've done so many things.
Tania Marien: What's next for you?
Dinah Awino Kawino: . Wow, that's a big question. Um,
Dinah Awino Kawino: to be honest, I, I just want to transfer this, uh, innovation to different people, to different places so that it grows beyond me, it grows above me, it grows differently in different places, in different countries, in different continents. I wanna create that road. I always, I always tell people that I'm a hippo.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I'm a hippo because I'm actually a pigmy hippo, because pigmy hippo creates pathways where there are no paths for others to pass. That is what's next for me. That is what I wanna see. I just wanna see Pendo in action, just where I planted a seed. I just wanna see a tree and I wanna see people sustaining it.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I don't need to be there. I I'm just gonna like pass this and the mantle keeps passing.
Tania Marien: That's is beautiful. Wonderful. Thank you, Awino for being on the show, for sharing Pendo with us. Please include whatever links you want to include in the show notes. And please let us know how we can, um, support you from afar, celebrate your work, and share your work with others.
Tania Marien: And so how can people share your work with other people and how can they learn more about you and Pendo?
Dinah Awino Kawino: Thank you so much. Uh, I just wanted to say that. I'm putting up a website soon. Uh, initially I used to have Redefined by Akadi, but now I'm putting up a website called AkadiEco.org, which is gonna be up soon.
Dinah Awino Kawino: But you can connect with me on LinkedIn and I love traveling. I mean, Pendo Travel, so it can be hubbed with Tanya, it can be hubbed with University of Georgia, it can be hubbed with Kenya University. So whatever you wanna have us. But we really want more partnerships. We really want more supporters, truly, and we'd want a lot of people who just wanna experience bendo.
Dinah Awino Kawino: I think that's the best way anybody can support us. Thank you.