Tempo Art Center: Youth initiative changing the face of Dandora

Situated at the tail end of Dandora dump site is a life-giving hub known as Tempo Art Center; an evergreen garden cultivated by the local youth.

Spanning over 30 hectares Dandora dump site, which the country's largest, dumping area that connects Korogocho and Baba Dogo slums, receives an estimated 2,000 metric tonnes of waste.

Consequences of human activities at the dump site have left local communities living nearby suffer from severe health issues due to inhaling, coming into contact with heavy metals and hazardous chemicals released during waste burning.

“Residents experience skin conditions and respiratory illnesses, underscoring the urgent need for proper waste management practices,” a local said.

However, as the waste undergoes several processes, including recycling, burning, and decomposition, the area youth have taken advantage of the latter, turning a nearby piece of land into an amazing garden where they plant crops, trees and even rear fish.
 
“Besides the fertile Tempo Art Center giving food to the involved youth, trees in the garden also give out fresh air, purifying the toxic fumes emitted from the dump site as burning of plastics and rubber occurs on a daily basis,” Tempo Art Center farm manager Jared Oyola said.

The four-hectare man-made garden on rehabilitated land, formerly used as a quarry utilizes freshwater from natural springs since nearby rivers are heavily polluted.

“I am from Siaya where planting of trees is part of our culture. When I came here in 2013, I brought up the idea of planting trees and crops as a way of conserving the environmental because Tempo Art Center was purely a talent development hub.  I would like to challenge every individual to take the responsibility of planting trees wherever they are," he added.

While the majority of the group comprises males, there is also a fraction of women ranging from 28 to 40 years old involved in the campaign.

Despite their dedicated efforts to conserve the environment and combat climate change, the community members involved in managing the center, particularly the youth, face challenges such as negative profiling and attempts to seize the riparian land.