Makaya Ochieng'

I’m the founder of Emulate Greatness Initiative, a youth-led NGO working to alleviate poverty in Kenya by empowering young people with knowledge, skills and opportunities. Through my work, I’ve witnessed how deeply poverty and climate change are intertwined, environmental degradation continues to threaten livelihoods, especially among vulnerable communities.
This realisation inspired me to integrate climate education into our empowerment programs, leading to our pilot project, The Green Futures Initiative, an interactive climate education program that helps young people understand the climate crisis, explore green careers and build storytelling skills to become effective environmental advocates. We use participatory tools like the Climate Fresk workshop and a curriculum co-developed with Eyes on Climate, a consortium advancing climate education and youth empowerment.
So far, the Green Futures Initiative has reached over 200 students. We’re currently implementing the project at Don Bosco Youth Educational Services in Karen, Nairobi, engaging students from underserved communities who are transitioning from high school to higher education. Together, we are also producing an environmentally themed film to amplify youth voices and inspire wider climate action.
As a communication officer and climate advocate, I’m passionate about using storytelling to drive collective climate action and build a generation of informed, confident and motivated youth leading Kenya toward a sustainable future.