grantees » Paul Omondi Omonge

Known by his colleagues for his “abilities to work and motivate young people to take up leadership roles in natural resource stewardship”, Paul Omonge is an aspiring environmental leader from Kenya. After completing his Bachelor of Science in Range Management at the University of Nairobi, Paul gained experience in various NGOs before arriving at Lake Victoria Birders Organisation (LVBO). His duties as program coordinator include creating strategic plans for the organization, fostering new partners and partnerships, compiling reports, monitoring and evaluating projects. Interestingly, he has even organized exchange programs between his organisation and high school students from Germany and Kenya, a program sponsored by NABU, Germany.

Paul wishes to improve on his work in his organization, and he wants to do so by developing research-based environmental solutions in order to assist communities living near the Lake Victoria basin. Paul wishes to follow a Masters level of education in order to acquire the skills necessary to do such research.

Paul will use his JWH Initiative grant to enrol into the Kenyatta University in Nairobi to follow Masters courses in Environmental Science. In two semesters Paul will follow various courses such as research methodology, statistical analysis, environment and development, and urban settlements. Moreover, Paul will follow a one week course on “Strategic Planning and Management”. Here he will acquire the skills needed to help specify an organisation’s mission, vision and objectives, developing policies and plans. Finally, Paul will organize a field trip of six days in the mid-rift valley of the Sawaiti Wetlands in Kenya to gather data for his thesis research. He will meet and work with stakeholders, while also familiarizing himself with the research site. His talent for motivating the youth, combined with the analytical skills he will acquire will be of great importance towards his development as an environmental leader in his home country.