Our Empowerment Club Program currently targets youth living in Kibera, a district on the outskirts of Nairobi. Currently Kibera is the largest slum in Kenya, and the most densely populated slum in all of Sub-Saharan Africa. Though the 2009 Kenya Census reported about 170,000 people living in Kibera, other estimates have approximated over one million residents.* The exact population is still unknown. However despite arguments over exact numbers, the quality of living conditions- overcrowded and unsanitary- in this area is not debatable.
Kibera began as a settlement for Nubian soldiers returning from service for the British government during World War I. Men were allotted space in the forests outside of the city of Nairobi as a reward for their loyalty to the British Crown. In fact the word “kibera” literally means jungle or forest in Nubian. Over the years leading up to independence members of other tribes moved into the area and paid rent to the Nubian landlords. Although independence brought with it certain housing sanctions that made settlements like Kibera illegal, the slum’s residents remained and the slum continued to grow until the present. While the government owns the land that Kibera rests on, it has made no official recognition of the settlement.
Many residents still go without some of the most basic services including plumbing and electricity. Sewage and waste is also a major problem, and many resort to severely unsanitary methods for relieving themselves. A phenomenon called, “flying toilets”, is quite common in Kibera and involves throwing human waste in plastic bags as far away as possible- without any knowledge of where the refuse may land.
One of our field officers, Faith Wanjoki, was so inspired by this problem that she modeled a business that would help establish a solution. In the beginning of 2010, Faith opened Riverside Showers and Toilets which provides clean facilities and hot bathes, at a low cost to residents in her community. Faith’s work is a great example of the positive change that can occur when on-the-ground knowledge is utilized and put to good work!
Today there are dozens of NGO’s and organizations operating in the Kibera area. Its reputation as “Africa’s largest slum” has drawn in droves of people eager to help and even encouraged the “slumdog tourism” phenomenon. While we do not wish to discourage those who seek to lend a hand, many of the methods utilized are simply unsustainable and end up doing more harm than good. The people of Kibera do not want or need constant “hand outs” and charity, and certainly do not benefit from organized tours of foreigners snapping shots of their families and homes. That is why we at ZanaA have modeled and put into practice sustainable, Kenyan led practices, that placethe power of change in the hands of Kibera residents.
*Information on this page was taken from Kibera.org/uk as well as personal reports from ZanaA employees living in the Kibera area
*Population numbers vary depending on the source: while the census reports 170,000 residents, other estimates are much higher
*Check out mapkibera.org for accurate maps of the Kibera slum in Nairobi
