Mazingira Afya wins 2nd-place enterprise award!

Photo courtesy of Amref International University.

We are delighted to introduce Mazingira Afya...

...2nd-place winner of the ‘From Idea to Impact’ business plan competition with Amref International University and brainchild of Maryanne Mugi and Reginah Mundia. 

Huge congratulations on your innovative vision and upcoming social enterprise launch! 

Mazingira Afya means ‘Healthy Environment’ in Swahili. The co-founders call it a multi-impact enterprise – one that addresses public health, the environment, and sustainable agriculture through innovative waste management. 

Organic waste in landfills is a major problem in Kenya, exacerbating public health issues, say Maryanne and Reginah. Making up 65% of landfill waste, it pollutes the air, contaminates water sources and creates breeding grounds for disease vectors causing respiratory illnesses, water-borne and vector-borne diseases.   

“We want to grow a profitable organic waste recycling social enterprise that will not just reduce the public health crisis but will also enhance food security as we make money through the selling of organic compost and organic fertilizer,” says Reginah. 

Mazingira Afya was born when the co-founders met last year and discovered they shared the idea to turn waste into a healthy future. Reginah is a sustainable agriculturist and climate action champion. Maryanne is a nurse with a background in environmental health. Personal experience also drove their vision, says Maryanne, remembering bountiful potato harvests during childhood that no longer happen because of degraded soil. 

The two kicked off immediately, collecting waste from local vegetable vendors and their own homes.

“We were able to produce our first batch of the organic compost, around 150 kilos, which we tested on kitchen gardens. We can say it really brought positive results,” says Maryanne, describing yields of leafy spinach and amaranth. 

Maryanne and Reginah just completed the ‘From Idea to Impact – Building a Public Health (Social) Enterprise’ 12-month learning cycle, a partnership project from AMIU, a subsidiary of Amref Health Africa, and FLRF. It aims to empower participants to conceive and implement business models that are both financially viable and aligned with their social objectives.

The co-founders say the experience confirmed their venture is a solution to run with. Next steps are to officially register the business and expand – build contracts with businesses to collect the waste and improve the composting facility. With quality assurance testing from government agencies, they expect going to market within the next three months. 

“The impact we're going to create from this idea will not just be local, it will not just be national, but also global – impact that will be sustainable,” says Reginah. 

Maryanne and Reginah also plan to serve as ambassadors and mentors to upcoming cohorts in the ‘Idea to Impact’ program. 

“We have the responsibility, and we will be very honored to share our experiences and guide them through the journeys and contribute to the growth of a strong ecosystem of health entrepreneurs,” says Maryanne. 

Heartfelt wishes for the best of luck to the visionaries behind Mazingira Afya. We look forward to learning about your successes! 

Two more ‘From Idea to Impact’ learning cycles are in the making. Discover more in the media release here.

And watch this space for a profile on the 1st-place ‘From Idea to Impact’ business plan competition winner… coming soon!