2024 Impact Report: Stubborn Optimists.
Our 2024 Annual Impact Report is finally HERE!
It’s been a labour of love this year with so much to say - a testament to the incredible hard work of our team, and our expansion across all of our strategic pillars. We are so thankful to all of our supporters, funders, partners - and friends and family - who have been critical in shaping our organisation.
We remain stubbornly optimistic that we will see an end to the global plastic pollution catastrophe in our lifetime.
If we act now and put the right social and technological systems in place, we have a unique opportunity to shape a future grounded in values that are circular, regenerative, and equitable.
Innovate highlights:
✅ Refurbished Flipflopi Ndogo with new and improved production and building processes
✅ Launched Lamu Island’s first solar-powered recycled taxi dhow and a cargo barge
✅ Extruded our largest recycled beam ever — 7m long and made from 158kg of plastic
✅ Launched Flipflopi Designs, our SME for furniture as a strategy to unlock a viable circular economy business model
Educate highlights:
✅ A 150% increase in courses offered from the last year with 91 participants (43% women) - including tailor made courses made on-demand
✅ Launched pilot school based program for all primary and secondary school classes.
✅ A year of awards and recognition for Flipflopi and our children’s book
✅ New study ranked the Flipflopi model as having the highest projected health gain among all plastic recycling and circular economy initiatives assessed globally
Advocacy highlights:
✅ Secured greater support for the SUP bill through increased private sector engagement as well as the Bill’s first tabling at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA)
✅ Attended numerous conferences as a thought leader on the African circular economy
✅ Mapped stakeholders and key actors across all solid waste streams in Lamu County in order to formalise a collective approach to waste management in Lamu
We have learned so much these past few years, and can now credibly say that our strategy offers a transformative, preventative, and inclusive alternative to the current flawed waste management systems that exclude smaller communities like ours.
Rooted in economic democracy principles, our model aims to empower shoreline communities, especially in East Africa, through localized, circular economies that combine indigenous knowledge with technological solutions and reduce reliance on single-use plastics.
We hope you enjoy this year’s annual impact report - please do share with anyone you think might benefit from our work.
Asante sana for your continuous support