Rocky outcrops above forested hills and distant mountains at dusk

Community led since 2001

Mobilising for Sustainability.

Every seedling we plant is a promise kept to a neighbour. We walk with families, elders and young people as they heal their land, grow their livelihoods and carry forward the wisdom that has always held communities together.

The continuum

From a community resource centre to a foundation for regenerative futures.

The Mary Munei Community Resource Centre (MCRC) was co-founded in 2001 by Educationist, Publisher and Community Development Practitioner Alice Barasa Nabwera, together with Tree Planting Enthusiast and Environmental Steward Francis Wanaswa. It was inspired by the desire to collaborate with local communities against wanton deforestation, environmental degradation and rural poverty.

Mary Munei Foundation is the natural progression of that work — the same grassroots authenticity, a broader mandate: regenerating landscapes and uplifting communities across Kenya and beyond. It honours the legacy of Mary Munei, whose values of care and stewardship shaped generations.

Mary Munei Community Resource Centre logo

Mary Munei Community Resource Centre

Inaugurated 2001

Mary Munei Foundation emblem

Mary Munei Foundation

Two decades on, expanded scope

Priorities

Regeneration that is ecological, social and cultural.

01

Landscape Restoration

Tree planting, riverbank rehabilitation, soil recovery and biodiversity protection across the Mt Elgon area, the Lake Victoria catchment, Mkelekeleni Ridge and the Ramisi River riparian ecosystem in Kwale.

02

Cultural Stewardship

Integrating ancestral knowledge, taboos and rituals that safeguarded ecosystems long before conservation had a name.

03

Regenerative Agriculture

Demonstrative farming, agribusiness, water conservation and climate resilience built with — not for — local farmers.

04

Partnership Building

Working with local leaders, government agencies, academia and global allies to widen what one community started.

The Resource Centre

Two decades of grassroots trust.

We have been working shoulder to shoulder with local communities, private institutions, governmental agencies and individuals — from the Mt Elgon biodiversity area to a large portion of the Lake Victoria catchment.

  • —Tree planting to benefit the environment
  • —Conserving the Mt Elgon biodiversity area
  • —Demonstrative farming and agribusiness projects
  • —Education for needy students

Schools and communities at the centre

To build a sustainable culture of conservation, environmental education must sit on school curricula and be complemented with practical projects that reach the wider community. Our district wide school tree planting project supplied free seedlings and field support to schools while opening the same practical learning to community groups, delivered in close partnership with the government forestry department.

Self funded, now poised for partnership

For many years our activities have been funded from revenue generated by our own projects — beekeeping, dairy, poultry and greenhouse enterprises — supplemented by the founders' personal contributions in finances, time and resources in kind, and by the support of volunteers like Philemon Wafula, and many others. This kept the work rooted, resilient and independent. Today we are poised to deepen partnerships and collaboration with like minded institutions, agencies and individuals who share our vision.

Leadership

The people who carry the work.

Portrait of Alice Barasa Nabwera

Alice Barasa Nabwera

Educationist, Publisher, and Community Development Practitioner

Alice Barasa Nabwera is a pioneering Kenyan educationist, administrator, trainer, publisher and community development practitioner whose distinguished professional career has spanned education, research, institutional management, publishing, public service and sustainable development. She was educated at Kaimosi Girls Primary Boarding School, Alliance Girls High School and Kenya High School, and later obtained a BSc in Botany, Zoology and Chemistry, a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, and a Master of Education in International Development Education from the University of Pittsburgh, with a focus on communication technology and science education.

Portrait of Francis Wanaswa

Francis Wanaswa

Tree Planting Enthusiast and Environmental Steward

Francis Wanaswa is a sustainability and procurement leader, regenerative food systems advocate, climate and community steward, and lifelong tree planter. He grew up on the forested lower ridges of Mount Elgon in Western Kenya, where Bukusu ecological traditions instilled a deep respect for forests, rivers and wildlife.

Mary Munei Foundation emblem

Forests, opportunities, resilient communities.

We welcome mentors, collaborators, partners and supporters to strengthen governance, expand reach and invest in long term resilience.

Or write to info@marymuneifoundation.org