Turning Trash into Hope: How a Teen Eco-Changemaker is Reimagining Lagos

“I remember when the children were like, ‘Now this is something we can actually call beautiful.’ That moment will stay with me.” - Amara Nwuneli

In 2020, devastating floods displaced Amara Nwuneli’s family in Lagos — wiping out not just their home, but her parents’ spice business too. That loss could have stopped most of us cold. But for 14-year-old Amara, it became the spark to act. She started documenting the floods and their aftermath, raising 2 million naira (about $5,000 USD) to rebuild two local schools. That initiative gave birth to Preserve Our Roots, her youth-led NGO dedicated to climate awareness in Nigeria.

From Dump to Playground: A Living Lesson

In 2023, Amara and her team turned their attention to a garbage-filled plot in Ikota, Lagos — less than 3 % of the city’s land is green, and safe places to play are rare .They reclaimed the space. With help from local artisans and volunteers, old tires, scrap wood, and metal became swings, slides, and barrels of color and possibility. They planted 300 flood-resistant trees and invited children from the neighborhood to play, learn, and feel seen.

Amara’s vision didn’t go unnoticed. In 2025, she was crowned Africa’s regional winner of The Earth Prize — bringing home $12,500 to scale her work. Put simply: her small, community-centered playground became a globally recognized symbol of hope and possibility.

From One Park to Many: Building a Green Movement from Trash

Amara’s first eco-playground in Ikota was never meant to be the grand finale. It was the pilot—the spark. With the $12,500 Earth Prize award, she’s now laying the foundation for a broader environmental vision.

“With this funding, we will establish three more parks in underserved Nigerian communities, bringing climate education, green spaces, and sustainable infrastructure to tens of thousands,” she told The Earth Prize committee.

These upcoming green spaces will be multi-functional community hubs, not just playgrounds. They’re designed to include:

• Gardens and greenhouses for climate education and food resilience
• Waste-collection zones, teaching the local community about recycling and sustainability
• Safe, vibrant spaces for youth, turning neglected land into civic pride spots

Amara isn’t stopping at Lagos. Her three-pronged expansion spans Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo—each area facing its own mix of flooding, drought, and urban neglect. These sustainable hubs are meant to be localized answers to climate pressures, adaptable to regional challenges.

Her vision is even bigger. She dreams of a “Central Park for Lagos”—a sprawling, iconic public green space to serve as both an environmental haven and a cultural hallmark for the city.

Why This Story Matters — And Why 16Stories Is Telling It

At 16Stories, we believe that every breakthrough—no matter where it starts—has the power to ripple outward and change communities. This teen innovator’s journey from turning discarded plastic into a single playground, to inspiring similar projects in other towns, is more than a story about recycling or construction. It’s about proof. Proof that creativity, persistence, and community spirit can rewrite what’s possible.

Stories like this matter because they challenge the usual narrative about who gets to lead change. Here, it’s not a politician or a big corporation making things happen—it’s a young person with an idea, the grit to test it, and the humility to keep going until it worked.

By spotlighting her story, 16Stories hopes to do three things:

1. Inspire others—especially young people—to look at the problems in their communities not as roadblocks, but as raw material for solutions.
2. Show the global relevance—waste management, safe play spaces, and youth engagement aren’t just “local” concerns; they’re universal.
3. Amplify movements, not just moments—because one playground isn’t the end of the story. The ripple effect, the replication, the idea that others can build on this blueprint—that’s where lasting change begins.

Her work is a testament to the fact that transformation doesn’t always start with a grand budget or official permission. Sometimes, it starts with looking at a pile of trash and seeing a place where joy can live. And in telling this story, 16Stories is making sure the world sees that vision, too.

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Amara Nwuneli