Eco-Ethics International worked on community capacity building (centered in Mombasa) that served to bring awareness and promote policy action concerning the dangerous levels of lead contamination (primarily through lead extraction from car batteries) that have been documented in the environment and in area residents. Using a participatory-based model, activities included community meetings, development of communication materials, and a workshop in which community members learned through direct action how to leverage an existing environmental law passed in 1999. Community members were trained explicitly on the details of the law, how it should be enforced, and the relation of SAICM to existing and future policy in Kenya. Following this, Eco-Ethics sponsored discussions with community members, government health and environmental protection officials, and management of the local lead processing plant responsible for much of the contamination. With leverage from a newly created organization sponsored by Eco-Ethics, community members were able to take ownership and forge a common plan to reduce and eliminate lead contamination.
