Rambøll x Dreamtown: A new collaboration for climate justice
Supporting young Water Stewards
Dreamtown has developed a brand new partnership with Rambøll, one of Denmark’s largest engineering cosulting companies. The partnership is anchored in the amazing Rambøll Water team. The partnership is guided by one overarching vision: To support urban activists - living in urban slums that are vulnerable towards climate change - to become Water Stewards. Water Stewards are urban youth, who have a holistic understanding of water in their community and engage in multi-purpose flood prevention measures.
Rambøll and Dreamtown team at project launch in DemokratiGarage
Young activists in Kampala, working on flood adaptation in Kitintale community
Flooding in slums and informal settlements
The collaboration places a strong focus on the challenges urban populations face in relation to flooding.
In Nairobi, one of the most critical issues stems from the flooding of the Nairobi River. In April 2024, the city experienced some of its worst floods in decades, severely affecting thousands of people living in informal settlements situated in low-lying riperian areas. These communities were among the hardest hit, with homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods washed away.
In Kampala, the situation is similarly urgent. Many informal settlements are located in low-lying swamp areas that naturally collect water during heavy rains. With limited drainage infrastructure, floodwaters have nowhere to go—posing serious risks to health, safety, and housing
Edwin Muigai from the Kenyan organisation Public Space Network, showing the water level during the Nairobi River floods in 2024
Community cleaning in Port Bell, Kampala, after rainfall
Kick start in Nairobi and Kampala
The collaboration officially launched in May 2025 with visits to Nairobi and Kampala, where teams from Rambøll Water and Dreamtown visited a range of youth-led organisations living in flood prone communities. The purpose of the visit was to gain a deeper understanding of how flooding affects urban communities, identify flood-prone “hotspot” areas, as well as opportunity spaces for co-creating solutions with local youth.
As part of the initiative, Rambøll’s water experts also developed detailed water analyses, including flood models zooming in on selected informal settlements in both cities. These tools were integrated into a hands-on Water Stewardship training programme, equipping young people with the knowledge and skills to understand water systems and contribute to local flood resilience efforts.
Flood mapping along Nairobi River with youth from Dandora community
Water Stewardship training in Kampala at the roof top of the community based organisation Holistic Action for Development
Turning training into impact
As the project progresses, youth who have completed the Water Stewardship Training Program will be given the opportunity to access direct funding to implement solutions to the climate and water challenges they identify as most urgent in their communities.
This funding will support youth-led projects ranging from innovative flood prevention measures to community awareness campaigns — designed and driven by the young people who know their neighborhoods best. By placing resources directly in the hands of trained youth, the project not only fosters local ownership but also ensures that solutions are relevant, sustainable, and rooted in lived experience. A few examples of potential solutions are shown below.
Stream stabilization
Floodable spaces
Rainwater harvesting
Raingarden
Next steps - women leading the way
As the project moves into its next phase, the focus will sharpen on empowering young women to become leaders in climate resilience. Over the coming year, the initiative will invest in building the capacity of young women living in informal urban settlements to take on the role of Water Stewards — equipped with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to drive change within their communities.
Project team from Network for Active Citizens - one of the leading partners in the Water Stewardship Programme in Kampala
The Director of Holistic Action for Development, Ronah Ahumuza - one of the leading partners in the Water Stewarship programme in Kampala together with Rambøll and Dreamtown
