6 Oct 2025
The pupils’ work coincided with World Environmental Health Day in September.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Donkey care club pupils in Kenya painting as part of a Brooke project for World Environmental Health Day.
A prominent equine charity is inspiring children in Kenya to help protect donkeys from plastic pollution.
One of Brooke’s donkey care club initiatives has seen pupils at a Nairobi school recycle more than 500 plastic bottles that have been decorated and repurposed into pencil holders, flower vases and flowerbed fences, as well as drip irrigation systems for watering plants.
Donkey care club pupil Alex said: “I love turning trash into something beautiful. My parents now help me collect bottles at home, and I use them to make beautiful wristbands.”
Another student added: “I’ve made a beautiful pencil holder for my study table at home. It reminds me to care for the environment every day.”
The recycling efforts are said to have not only visibly transformed the school, but also protected donkeys, livestock and the environment by reducing litter that can be ingested by the animals and plastic waste that causes air pollution when burned.
Club patron Faith said: “Our learners are not just reusing, they are learning creativity, critical thinking and collaboration to support donkeys and the people who depend on them.”
Donkey care clubs were formed in partnership between Brooke in East Africa and Caritas Kitui, the social and development department of the Catholic Diocese of Kitui.
The clubs teach children in Kenya to care for donkeys, improve animal welfare and promote care for the environment, and each year Brooke and Caritas organise an annual talent show for them to promote community education.
Plastic pollution has also been described as a “critical issue for donkey welfare” in neighbouring Ethiopia, where a study is set to commence investigating the impact of plastic pollution on terrestrial animals.
