The word ‘home’ has many different meanings – it’s the place where our families live, our sanctuary from the world or the place where we belong. During the next decade nearly 3 billion people worldwide will call some of the world’s over-crowded, dirty and dangerous slums home.
Rapid urbanisation, and a failure to develop a robust urban planning model results in the construction of informal haphazard settlements. Put simply: supply outstrips demand. Walking through the winding dirt streets of the Mukuru kwa Njenga i slum, grocers, hairdressers, mechanics and families exist side by side claiming their small piece of territory to survive.
The Mukuru kwa Njenga i slum in Nairobi is one of the largest slums in Kenya with a population of more than 100,000. Life here is precarious and uncertain due to mass evictions, and a lack of access to water and good sanitation.
“I came to Mukuru kwa Njenga i slum after a misunderstanding with my husband,” says Annastacia Wanjala, “I worked as a casual worker at the Red Cross Hotel-Red Court for 2 months when the contract ended.”
“I was introduced to the Ruben Centre by a friend, and I enrolled at the Ruben Vocational Training Centre where I am training in knitting, dressing and tailoring through the sponsorship of the Anti-Child Labour Department.”
The Ruben Centre is a Faith Based Organisation (FBO) and works for a just and empowered Mukuru Slum Community. The centre is a one-stop-shop to access education, skills training, maternal and child health, and economic empowerment for residents of the Mukuru kwa Njenga i slum.
It is managed by the East African District of the Christian Brothers, and is one of eight project sites in Africa providing key services for one of the biggest slums in Kenya. The Ruben Centre was the brainchild of the famous Sr. Mary Killeen from the Mercy Sisters, known as the Mother Teresa of Kenya, who established the first ever primary school in the slum in 1986. In 2000, at Sr. Mary’s request the Christian Brothers took over the management of the school, which then transitioned into the Ruben Centre as we know it today.
Annastacia is also a recipient of the Community Opportunity Micro Enterprise Trust (COMET). COMET provides sustainable micro-finance, and related business development services to residents of the slums to stimulate investments in micro-business and to reduce poverty. Supported by Misean Cara, it focuses on self-employment, developing a culture of saving, providing access to affordable loans and building the entrepreneurial capacity of the slum residents.
“I got to know of COMET through the weekly training sessions on business facilitated at the vocational centre by the micro-finance project,” says Annastacia.
“After the elections in 2013, there was violence amongst community members based on presumed voting patterns,” says Annastacia, “houses were torched and I lost all of my household belongings. Following the incidence, my mother took custody of my three children and I joined COMET.”
“Life here is precarious and uncertain due to mass evictions, and a lack of access to water and good sanitation.”
Since its inception, the Ruben Centre has brought improved safety and security to its area in the slum amidst the wider lawlessness. It has been a bulwark demarcating a beacon of hope for the residents in the slum to transform their lives, and community.
“During the business trainings at COMET, I worked with the Project Coordinator on my business plan, and after a discussion with the committee, COMET offered me Ksh 1,500 as a start-up loan without security,” says Annastacia grateful for the organisation’s belief in her.
Annastacia’s life has changed because of COMET. Today she is a successful business woman, and her business is thriving, and she is able to plan for the future.
“I invested in a hawking business trading in onions. In three days, I had made Ksh. 2,600 in profit and I offered to clear the loan. I was, however, advised by COMET to reinvest the profit and diversify the products,” she says, “this was a blessing as I was able to increase the range of products that I traded in. I stuck to the terms of the loan and cleared it within a month.”
The business is doing well, and Annastacia is able to save some of her profits. She hopes that her savings will allow her to form a larger micro-finance group to help other business women access more credit to expand further into the slum. Annastacia believes that COMET has given her much more than business acumen, it has empowered her to think much bigger than her initial dream.
“Through the project, I have learnt business skills, and I am able to manage my small business. From a start-up capital of Ksh. 1,500, the business capital has grown to Ksh. 5,000 in under 5 months,” says Annastacia, “the little start-up capital was like an eye opener for me.”
“I have been able to replace my lost household belongings like furniture and bedding, and I can now pay my rent. I have also been able to send at least Ksh. 1,000 on a weekly basis to my mother towards the upkeep of my children. The star is bright and I look forward to a better and more dignified life.”
UN-Habitat estimates that:
- The number of people living in slum conditions is now at 863 million, in contrast to 760 million in 2000 and 650 million in 1990.
- By 2030, about 3 billion people or about 40% of the world’s population will live in slums. This means 96,150 housing units need to be constructed per day globally.
- Each day 120,000 people are born increasing the populations of Asian cities, requiring the construction of at least 20,000 new dwellings and supporting infrastructure.
Special Report by Misean Cara Communications Officer Tara Finglas with photography by Lar Boland.
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