We believe in the power of volunteerism to create meaningful change, equip young people with skills, and bridge the gap between education and employment. Our mantra is simple: #HUMANIZE—putting people first in everything we do.
Phone:
The inception of Enkare Oltau Foundation dates back to 2017, when a passionate movement of youth at the University of Nairobi came together with the goal of influencing positive change. Among them was Petronila Owino, a trailblazer pursuing a double major in Sociology and Conflict & Peace Studies. As the university prepared to break for the general elections, a lecturer, impressed by Petronila’s eloquence and leadership in class, challenged her to put her skills to meaningful use during the break. He connected her with one of his Master’s students who, unbeknownst to her, would introduce her to Dr. Mark Leleruk, the Assistant Inspector General of Police and Director of Peace Cop Kenya.
Petronila embraced the opportunity and confidently pitched her idea of mobilizing university students to champion peace and prevent election violence. The proposal was warmly received and marked the beginning of a powerful partnership. Within a week, she mobilized 150 students from six universities to lead civic awareness campaigns on peaceful elections, with backing from the administrative police. These efforts, especially visible in traffic stops and street corners across Nairobi, caught public attention and showcased youth leadership in real-time.
The initiative drew the interest of key institutions, including the Ministry of Gender through its 1195 GBV Helpline program. Petronila was invited to spearhead a campaign addressing election-related violence against women and children, conducting outreach in areas like Mathare and Kibera. The success of these campaigns not only affirmed her ability to lead and mobilize but also sparked a transformative journey. Over 200,000 citizens were reached through sensitization drives, and 400 young women from informal settlements received training on how to report and prevent electoral gender-based violence.
Following the elections, the momentum did not die. The youth involved, inspired and united, recognized the need to continue their efforts. They looked to Petronila for leadership. What had begun as a spontaneous volunteer movement evolved into a disciplined, passionate, and professional youth initiative ready to serve the nation.
As news of the group’s impact spread, more organizations took notice. Petronila began receiving invitations to support projects in a voluntary capacity. Early collaborators such as the Sickle Cell Society of Kenya, Alzheimer’s and Dementia Society of Kenya, and UN Volunteers Kenya were instrumental in providing platforms for volunteers to apply classroom knowledge in practical contexts. Through these engagements, young volunteers gained experience in fundraising, counseling, report writing, and community outreach, which eventually led many to employment opportunities.
By the time Petronila graduated in 2018, her mission was clear. She was committed to championing causes she personally identified with: education, gender equality, economic empowerment, and climate action. Her journey through poverty, systemic inequality, and educational barriers shaped her resolve to ensure that others could access the same opportunities she had fought for.
She launched the “Shule Mtaani” initiative to bring basic education to street children, providing informal learning under trees and on sidewalks, while connecting them to rehabilitation services, vocational training, and formal school reintegration. This pioneering program, powered by volunteers who believed in her vision, was her first major independent project.
In her work, Petronila identified a critical gap in Kenya’s employment ecosystem: the lack of structured pathways for youth through volunteerism. She advocated for corporate volunteerism not just as a civic duty, but as a viable route to gain experience and entry into employment. Her model proposed that volunteer contributions to development be recognized and supported through formal systems.
By March 2019, the momentum warranted a formal entity. On April 3, 2019, the organization was legally registered as Enkare Oltau Foundation under the Registrar of Societies in Kenya.
The foundation’s name is rooted in Maasai culture. “Enkare” means water symbolizing life, purity, and continuity, all values embedded in the foundation’s mission. “Oltau” means heart, representing compassion, empathy, and service. The logo of two hands pouring out love embodies the foundation’s commitment to serving from the heart, ensuring every action touches and uplifts others.
Our mantra, #HUMANIZE, captures our guiding philosophy: to uphold the dignity of human life. We prioritize the well-being and humanity of those we serve, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or religious background. Through empathy-led service, we seek to create an inclusive, just, and empowered society. Our primary areas of focus.
Enkare Oltau is a legally registered non-profit organization that empowers the community through 4 SDG pillars with an aim of providing sustainable and replicable development across the informal and formal sectors but especially the vulnerable in society. We seek to empower girl child, young mothers, PLWD, SGBV survivors, orphans, widows and the youth. Our modus operandi is empowered to empower. In our operation, we believe sustainability is key to development and thus we are pivoting on training manpower with the mission of skills transfer to where it is needed. To date, we are learning and reinventing the use of volunteerism as one of our major tools of service for development.
By promoting volunteerism amongst the youth, we provide a platform for mostly young people (but not limited to) to harness their skills to address their community issues as a way of putting their academic skills and talents to use while also linking them to corporate volunteer opportunities that enable them to grow economically and career wise. Over the years, the organization has grown beyond the volunteer aspect and firmly delved into sustainable causes, blossoming through the universal involvement of the communities, government partnerships, corporates and with fellow CSO’s.
The name of the organization was deliberated and agreed upon by all the volunteers. It is a common identity for all in the organization. Enkare Oltau are Maasai words that we believe are a representation of what we stand for as an organization. Enkare in Maasai means water. To us water represents life, purity and continuity. In all our projects as an organization, we strive to ensure continuity through replicable engagements, in all our activities, we have pure intentions and we put our all in the projects we engage in.
Oltau is also a Maasai word that means heart. All that we do is humane and from our hearts with the intention of reaching and serving another heart. From our hearts flow compassion, empathy and love to all that we touch through our acts of service. Our logo which shows two hands symbolically pouring love through our continuous acts of service from one heart to the next. Our mantra is the hashtag HUMANIZE. We believe in the sanctity of human life, in all our engagements, we look at the respect and well-being of those we serve before anything else. Seeing the humane aspect of a person as a priority opens one’s ability to serve them without bias of their ethnicity, race, economic background, religion etc.
Enkare Oltau is a legally registered non-profit organization that empowers the community through 4 SDG pillars with an aim of providing sustainable and replicable development across the informal and formal sectors but especially the vulnerable in society. We seek to empower young mothers, PLWD, SGBV survivors, orphans, widows and the youth. Our modus operandi is empowered to empower.
In our operation, we believe sustainability is key to development and thus we are pivoting on training manpower with the mission of skills transfer to where it is needed. To date, we are learning and reinventing the use of volunteerism as one of our major tools of service for development. By promoting volunteerism amongst the youth, we provide a platform for mostly young people (but not limited to) to harness their skills to address their community issues as a way of putting their academic skills and talents to use while also linking them to corporate volunteer opportunities that enable them to grow economically and career wise. Over the years, the organization has grown beyond the volunteer aspect and firmly delved into sustainable causes, blossoming through the universal involvement of the communities, government partnerships, corporates and with fellow CSO’s.
Lend your skills, time, and passion to create a better future.
Together, we can drive real change!