A regional organization is determined to conserve Lake Victoria and its resources.  The East African Communities Organization for the management of Lake Victoria resources (ECOVIC) is a regional forum of civil society organizations (CSOs) around the Lake Victoria basin. 
ECOVIC was formed in 1998 in Jinja Uganda and registered in Mwanza as an international Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) with regional head quarters in Mwanza, Tanzania. 
The organization has chapters in the three East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and works with a riparian population of over 30 million people.  The Kenya chapter is headed by Mrs Mary Amwata and has its offices in the lakeside Western town of Homa-Bay. It was registered in 1999. 
ECOVIC was formed in the spirit of the United Nations Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio Declaration, Agenda 21).  It follows closely the strategies adopted by the Helsinki Commission and borrows a leaf of success - particularly the involvement of civil soceties - from the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). To identify areas of concern in Kenya, a baseline survey was conducted from Mihuru Beach in Migori District to Sio Port in Busia District. Initial focus was then on membership mobilisation and sensitization on areas of concern.
According to ECOVIC’s regional director Mr. Kinya Munyirwa, the idea of bringing together civil society organizations to spearhead the restoration of Lake Victoria was conceived as a result of the concern arising from the deteriorating environmental conditions.
Munyirwa, who was recently in the country for a tour of the Kenya chapter offices and its projects observed: “The high population growth rate and unsustainable exploitation of the natural resource base is fast eroding the livelihood of the people.
The water hyacinth menace, the dwindling fisheries resources due to overfishing and mismanagement, the destruction of catchment areas due to poor land use practices were leading to a major environmental crisis. 
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has also taken a heavy toll on the people living around the lake. It is against this background that ECOVIC was formed”. ECOVIC thus identified key areas to tackle with the groups viz. capacity building, environmental management, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, fisheries management, food security and savings and credit. As regards capacity building, member organisations have been trained on beach management and other sound environmental practices.
The organisation has also been conducting civic education in Homa Bay, Suba and Busia districts.
As far as water and sanitation is concerned, ten young men and two young women from Kusa in Nyakach were two years ago trained on building rain water harvesting tanks for demonstration. 
On completion of demonstration sites they were given additional training followed by tests as to whether they could build water tanks on their own.  Both the women and the eight male trainee artisans succeeded in independently building tanks of 3000 litres capacity in their own homesteads.  They can now be hired as local experts for tank construction.
The organization - in collaboration with CARE Kenya has also started a project on Ecological Sanitation (ECOSAN) toilets in Nyarongi Division of Homa-Bay District.  ECOSAN toilets can be effectively used to collect urine and excreta for agriculture.
These toilets are a perfect alternative to flush - and - discharge and drop - and - store sanitation systems.  They work on the principle of sanitized reuse of human waste.  The principle builds upon the re-circulation of
utrients rather than water. 
As regards food security, the organization - in collaboration with OSIENALA (Friends of Lake Victoria) - as embarked on the promotion of horticulture in the lake region.  Support for this has been coming from the Regional Land Management Unit (RELMA) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA).
On account of its strategic location and the development challenge that the lake presents, the East African community member states have designated the lake and  its basin as an “area of common economic interest”. 
Munyirwa adds: “In their intervention, the EAC partner states are determined to reverse the environmental degradation in the lake basin and promote its sustainable development.
This intervention measure seeks to uplift the standards of the people, maintain the ecological balance and ensure the survival of the varied fauna and flora of the lake and its basin”. 
According to Kenya chapter’s administrative Secretary Mr. Erastus Orwa, there are several organizations involved in various restoration activities within the Lake Victoria basin.  But few of them - if any - have well - spelt out guidelines of integrating the local community needs.
“It is this gap that ECOVIC seeks to fill,”.  he notes.  ECOVIC thus provides a forum which allows the communities to fully participate in activities that ensure sound environmental management and socio-economic development.
The driving force behind the formation of ECOVIC is the strategic position and the importance of Lake Victoria to the three East African Community member states.  With a surface area of 68,800 KM2, Lake Victoria is the second largest fresh water lake in the world after Lake superior of USA. 
The lake supports over 30 million people from the East African countries of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and employs millions of people in the fishing industry and its related activities.  Fishing is a major foreign exchange earner to the three countries.  And besides providing water for domestic use, the lake is also a source of transport.  The lake Victoria Basin (Kenya) covers an area of 42,000 square kilometres.
ECOVIC draws its membership from any legally instituted NGOs or community - Based Organizations (CBOs) from the Lake Victoria Basin, interested individuals, professional groups, associations, international agencies, schools and other institutions. 
However, ECOVIC’s major emphasis is to evoke the cultural integration that exists within the communities, with a view to fostering a mutual process and enhancing participation in the  environment management and development around the lake region. As a network of NGOs and CBOs working towards the rehabilitation and protection of Lake Victoria ecosystem for sustainable development, its current membership stands at 153 organizations. Tanzania is leading with 78 organizations; Kenya has 51 while Uganda has 32 member organizations.
ECOVIC’s objectives include working to promote and coordinate economically viable