Debora Kayembe

Founder of the Youth Environmental Organization (YEO) transforming waste management in Kinshasa

Debora Kayembe is a Congolese environmental activist and entrepreneur who pioneered innovative waste management solutions in Kinshasa. Starting in the late 1990s during the Congo Wars, she created the Youth Environmental Organization (YEO) to address the city's severe garbage crisis. Through community mobilization and creative recycling programs, her organization transformed 80% of Kinshasa's waste into reusable materials by 2005. YEO's model became a blueprint for post-conflict environmental recovery, featured in UNEP reports and the documentary series Earthrise. Kayembe's work established the first urban composting system in Central Africa, creating 300+ jobs while reducing landfill use by 60%. Her 2003 book <《Waste as Wealth》> details her approach, now taught in African environmental science curricula. Recently honored by the African Union with the Pan African Environmental Award, her legacy continues through YEO's solar-powered recycling hubs.