The Flipflopi Project

30/10/2026

Another day, another feww 100kgs of plastic bottles transported off the islands...

Think before you buy that bottle of water, PLEASE!

Thanks to partners Pakpro KENYA and rePurpose Global for making collecting this material even possible!

29/10/2026

Our project, From Waste Picking to Master Craft - as in the work we do every day collecting wasted plastics and transforming them into beautiful and unique homeware pieces through , has been recognised by the prestigious iF International Forum Design as a winner of the Social Impact Prize 2026.

This honour is about our people, the collectors who spend their days recovering plastic from beaches, dumpsites and mangroves across the Lamu archipelago to those learning heritage skills from our master fundis.

We're keeping rich Swahili crafting traditions alive, only finding a new material to work on and waste picking slowly becoming a more dignified trade.

We couldn't do any of this without our incredible collectors, fundis, families, partners and funders, from Lamu to the rest of the world. This award belongs to every one of them. 💛

Thank you iF International Forum Design for seeing the value in what we do.

28/10/2026

We have just been awarded the iF International Forum Design Social Impact Prize! 🙌
This is a particularly special award and a great honor for all of us...
"For over 70 years, the iF DESIGN AWARD has set the global standard for outstanding design. The internationally recognized iF label and the high-profile iF Jury celebrates designers who challenge conventions, rethink systems, and transform ideas into meaningful experiences. It is a mark of design leadership and a gateway to new opportunities!"
Thank you to everyone that has been part of this journey over the years and this recognition goes to everyone from our community in Lamu to our international partners and donors. Asanteni!
More info: https://lnkd.in/du-dA6SK

15/10/2026

Our MOU signing with ifaw was about much more than a signature.

On the same day, we unveiled one of the historic Nine Gates of Pate, rebuilt from half a ton of recycled plastic collected by communities across the archipelago.

The idea came from Pate Resources and Tourism Initiative who wanted to reconnect with their history and appreciate their environment. The connection to habitat isn't abstract. Every kilo of plastic pulled off a beach or out of a mangrove creek is a kilo that isn't fouling the nesting sites of hawksbill and green turtles, or drifting through waters that are now home to just two of Kenya's remaining dugongs.

Full story via the link in our bio

12/10/2026

10/10/2026

08/10/2026

Yesterday we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the President of ifaw at our HQ in Lamu to co-create the Monsoon Winds Seascape linking the Western Indian Ocean with the Arabian Gulf.

For centuries the monsoon winds carried dhows between the East African coast and the Gulf, and with them trade, language and culture. Ecologically, these waters have always been one system. Whales and turtles move freely between the two regions, and today plastic does too. This is a step towards changing that and restoring the natural connection and shared heritage between our shores.
Our aim is preventative instead of responding to further damage once it has happened.

For a small, community-rooted organisation like ours, a five-year commitment building on two years of support already to work together with an international conservation body of IFAW's standing means a great deal. It shows that solutions built on the ground in Lamu deserve a place at the centre of regional ocean planning.

08/10/2026

Over the last few weeks, Ali and the team have been rigging our 4-metre recycled plastic dhow for the . Every line has been fitted by hand, the same way it would be on a full-size Lamu dhow.

There was one problem to solve that a normal dhow never has: how do you get her from Lamu Island to Canada? You split her in two.

The last photo shows the join, where the hull comes apart for shipping and goes back together once she's in Toronto. It was designed into the build from the beginning, so nobody had to cut through anything.

Next year she'll be one of the key pieces in The Indian Ocean: Monsoon Worlds, alongside objects from the 9th-century Tang shipwreck. That's quite the company for a boat built in our workshop 🌊

We'll share more as she gets ready to travel!