N.I.L.E. journeys
Nurturing Impulses for Living Ecosystems
Current areas of focus
The work of the NILE.journeys is on two interrelated levels: the local community and the trans-boundary.
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Supporting local community hubs
On the community level, we work through community hubs across the Nile Basin. These are pre-existing space that already works for regenerative and life affirming actions in one or more Nile countries. Currently, the ones that invited us to probe with them are working in spheres focusing on community development, permaculture farming, culture and heritage practices, shelters for kids, education and livelihood opportunities for youth as well as entrepreneurship and tech hubs. The NILE.journeys supports in deepening their impact on the ground and enhancing trans-boundary cultural, social, ecological and economical exchanges. They represent “acupuncture points” that will enable ripple effects for the whole body of the Nile Basin to heal, repair and restore.
Hosting trans-boundary face-to-face gatherings
We are also hosting gatherings and creating space for interaction, exchange and dialogue, to allow people from across the basin to BE together and celebrate their diversity. These spaces are fostering co-learning and co-creation. At a later stage, they will nurture trans-boundary collaborative project aiming to boost local livelihood, while increasing cooperation among the Nile countries. These initiatives could be in the fields of trade, business, water conservation, agriculture, land regeneration, arts & culture, gender and social development.
In May 2019, our latest gathering took us on a sensing journey in Kenya all the way to Lake Victoria. With over 25 people from across the region, this multi-stakeholder exploration allowed a deep connection to the land, amongst participants as well as to the future we collectively want to invite. It helped weave the threads of individual work and aspirations together and shape a coherent path forward.
Creating a multimedia practice guide
This guide will offer vast information about the multiple storylines and narratives from across the basin providing historical context for current Nile dynamics. It will bring to light practices, grassroots stories and wisdom, and culture-nurturing methods honoring our indigenous ways of being and living.
Conducting research activities
Through sponsoring on the ground action research and collaborative PhDs we are exploring eco-social interaction patterns among Nile Basin communities and citizens, and multiple practices for regenerating Nile eco-social systems.
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Developing an online interactive platform
This virtual platform is currently developed, to allow better networking, sharing of positive, untold and forgotten inspirational stories, making indigenous knowledge accessible and reach out to more people in the region, in Africa and in the World, fostering its inherent African wisdom. We aspire to invite a paradigm shift in the way we look at each other and connect with one another.
Building a brand identity and a communication strategy
The NILE.journeys, formerly Nile Forum, is in the process of developing its brand identity and a communication strategy to mindfully and consistently share the stories and efforts it supports and accompanies in its multiple endeavors.