Girl vs. Hyacinth

Hey,

How young is young?

Welcome to Green Jobs Rising - your go-to for inspiring stories of young climate champions taking action for the planet.

What were you doing at 15? I was mastering the ancient art of sleeping with my eyes open during morning preps, an elite skill only found in high schools. You? 

My colleague said she was busy writing love letters on foolscaps and spraying them with Kiwi polish to ‘add scent’.

Not Rahmina Paulette, though. At 15, she is already described as an environmentalist and eco-friendly business owner.

Yep, some people are just that serious.

At just 5 years old, she was planting trees alongside her mother.

She watched how those seedlings grew, understanding how trees could shape and heal the environment, and planting became a monthly ritual.

Born and raised in Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria, Rahmina spent her childhood enjoying boat rides across the water.

But those happy memories came with a painful realisation: the lake, a natural wonder and tourist attraction, was under threat.

Plastics clogged its corners, and invasive water hyacinth smothered its surface.

One day, a planned boat trip was cut short. Thick mats of water hyacinth made it impossible. She was disappointed and that led her to research ways to get rid of the plant.

While she didn’t find a way to eliminate the weed entirely, she discovered its potential as a raw material for creating useful, sustainable products.

She launched her campaign, “Let Lake Victoria Breathe Again”, rallying people both online and offline to restore the lake’s ecosystem.

Her advocacy led to the formation of Kisumu Environmental Champs, a youth-led movement committed to climate action.

Rahmina later founded Rahmina Paulette Eco-Products, a green business that transforms water hyacinth into usable goods.

At that age, she was already creating jobs in her community, including for local fishermen who help collect the hyacinth.

She is now a student at Kisumu Senior Academy and she balances schoolwork with activism.

She's planning to add "wildlife champion" to her growing list of titles, thanks in part to her mom, who is both her mentor and biggest supporter.