Our planet is precious, rich in beauty, diversity, and prosperity. Yet, many heartbreaking truths remain. Many communities continue to face the harsh realities of poverty, pollution, and climate change. Around the world, millions of children still lack access to clean water, nutritious food, and safe environments.
As climate change’s threat accelerates, it is the world’s most vulnerable who feel its effects most severely. For many children, climate change is not a distant threat; it is already shaping daily life.
This June, as we mark World Environment Day and World Oceans Day, The Atlas Foundation is proud to celebrate the work of our local partner, Little Sports Organisation (LSO), Kenya, where young people are collectively taking the fight against climate change to protect their environment and restore vital ecosystems in their communities.
Protecting Their Planet
Many children growing up in Mombasa’s urban villages live in environments heavily impacted by plastic pollution and waste. Community spaces and sports fields are often littered with rubbish, particularly single-use plastics. Outside structured programmes, children frequently discard waste on the ground and commonly consume food served in small plastic bags, often unknowingly ingesting harmful microplastics.
With support from The Atlas Foundation and Far & Wild Travel, Little Sports Organisation has been implementing its Sport for the Planet programme – an initiative designed to build environmental awareness amongst young Kenyans while creating opportunities through education, leadership, and hands-on environmental action.
By embedding an environmental education into existing sports programmes, LSO is empowering children to understand that protecting the environment is not an abstract idea, but a responsibility that can become part of everyday life.
Taking Action Against Climate Change
At the heart of the programme is a simple belief: lasting change begins with education, followed by action. Since the programme began, the impact has already been significant:
1,500 children have been reached
177 Eco-ambassadors have been trained
5 interactive workshops delivered covering topics such as microplastics, climate change, carbon emission, and the importance of mangroves.
8 education days in the community
Every Pathways training session has been plastic-free since the start of the project.
School clean-ups collected 208kg of waste
Protecting Our Blue Planet
Protecting the ocean is a central focus of the initiative. Oceans cover more than 70% of the planet and are essential to sustaining life on our planet. Located on the Mombasa Coastline, Little Sports Organisation sees firsthand the importance of healthy coastal ecosystems and thriving marine environments. Through the programme:
- 100 mangrove seedlings have been planted to help restore and protect the coastline
- 20 youth Ocean Guardians have been trained
- Children have taken part in beach clean-ups, removing over 208kg of waste from coastal areas
I really liked the beach cleanup because it made me feel like we are helping the ocean. Learning about microplastics was very interesting but also scary because they are so small and everywhere.
Planting mangroves was fun, and I learned they help protect the oceans. Before this, I did not know much about the environment, but now understand more.
Through these activities, children are engaging with this critical issue and have fostered a real sense of environmental responsibility within their communities.
Only months into the initiative, it is already clear that a new generation of young leaders is emerging, equipped with the knowledge and determination to protect both their communities and the planet for years to come.
