NaPO Conservation Cup: youth-led dryland restoration in northern Kenya

Northern Kenya's dryland forests face a perfect storm: climate change, invasive species, and severe drought are destroying the land that communities depend on for survival. For pastoralist youth in these fragile ecosystems, environmental collapse means losing their future entirely.

Here's the challenge: the region has one of Kenya's youngest populations, yet conservation efforts rarely engage them meaningfully.

We're changing that through the NaPO Conservation Cup, a football tournament where competition drives real environmental restoration.

How it works: Youth form football teams and compete for tournament glory, but there's a catch—participation requires demonstrated conservation action. Teams earn points both on the pitch and on the land: by planting trees, restoring degraded areas using natural regeneration techniques, and completing ecological education modules.

Why it works: Football is a universal passion. By linking tournament success to environmental impact, we transform sport into a powerful conservation tool. During training camps and match days, players learn cost-effective restoration methods proven effective in drylands, then immediately apply them in their own communities.

The result? Youth become conservation leaders, ecosystems recover, and communities secure their livelihoods for generations to come. Over the past four years, the NaPO Conservation Cup has mobilized over 1,800 young people to take environmental action through our "sports for environmental action" model. Young people have planted over 10,000 tree seedlings and currently maintain more than 72 hectares under active restoration through natural regeneration and removing of invasive species. What began with 16 teams in 2023 has grown to 34 teams including 8 girls' teams by 2026, proving that when environmental action is embedded in culturally relevant activities like football, youth engagement becomes sustainable and self-reinforcing.