History
In 2007, Ryan Sheely came to Laikipia, Kenya from Yale University to undertake field research for his Ph.D. dissertation on institutions and governance in rural communities. There he met Richard Legei, and the pair began working together. One day, while conducting an interview in a rural town centre, Ryan and Richard watched apprehensively as a large gust of wind blew trash their way, nearly halting the interview. They began asking themselves how to address this problem of unmanaged waste - and, indeed, whether people in the region even saw it as an issue.
These discussions eventually grew into a full-fledged research proposal to evaluate the effect of community mobilization and enforcement of anti-littering rules on local solid waste outcomes, and the SAFI Project was born. Until 2009, the organization operated as an academic research project. In that year, SAFI registered as a CBO and charitable trust to complete its transition from international research project to local civil society organization. The organization continues to fuse research and program implementation and works with communities throughout Laikipia to design and implement projects related to public sanitation, waste management, recycling, and community empowerment. In addition to its core Kenyan staff and volunteers, SAFI has hosted volunteers and interns from a variety of international institutions, including Harvard, Columbia, University College Utrecht, and McGill.
These discussions eventually grew into a full-fledged research proposal to evaluate the effect of community mobilization and enforcement of anti-littering rules on local solid waste outcomes, and the SAFI Project was born. Until 2009, the organization operated as an academic research project. In that year, SAFI registered as a CBO and charitable trust to complete its transition from international research project to local civil society organization. The organization continues to fuse research and program implementation and works with communities throughout Laikipia to design and implement projects related to public sanitation, waste management, recycling, and community empowerment. In addition to its core Kenyan staff and volunteers, SAFI has hosted volunteers and interns from a variety of international institutions, including Harvard, Columbia, University College Utrecht, and McGill.