Supporting and encouraging community-based organisations in Kibera.
#BringingOurCityToLife
NC Kibera
BRINGING OUR CITY TO LIFE
NC Kibera is a partnership between local Kenyan volunteers and volunteers from the UK
Together we aim to resource and fund a number of projects aimed to deliver sustainable improvement of the quality of life for people whose home and local community is the Kibera slum.
What we do
We seek to foster independence, not dependence, for the people in Kibera. We do this by connecting and developing partnerships between local people and the UK, as well as by enabling them through the sustainable sharing of resources and ideas.
We work both alongside people in person and also via communications technologies; working closely with local community groups in Kibera and partnering with other charitable organisations operating in the area. We do not discriminate and work with all genders, sexual orientation, ages, faiths, and people of no faith.
Our current projects include a football academy, a small business micro-loan scheme, healthcare training, pandemic feeding programmes, drug rehabilitation and a public washrooms building initiative.
About Kibera
Kibera is an area of Nairobi, Kenya and is thought to be the largest slum in Africa, as well as one of the largest slums in the world. Population estimates for Kibera vary widely between 170,000 and 1.5 million, depending on the source.
The majority of Kibera’s population live in small, rented mud shacks with corrugated tin roofs. There is very little infrastructure in the area; clean water is sold at an inflated price by private sellers, access to electricity is very limited, and the lack of toilets and sewage systems means that the streets are strewn with human waste, as well as refuse. Medical and educational facilities are also extremely limited, and what is available is generally supplied by charitable organisations.
Poverty is a key issue in Kibera, where there is an unemployment rate of about 50%, and where many of those who are employed are in relatively unskilled, poorly paid jobs. The cost of living in Kibera is relatively expensive (as in other slums). The majority of those in these informal settlements don’t have a steady source of income and many work as casual labourers in the surrounding factories where they earn about 200 Kenyan Shillings (£1.50) per day. Malnutrition, disease, alcohol and substance abuse, prostitution and violence are also all issues that heavily affect the people of Kibera, largely resulting from the poor living conditions.
Together, we can make a difference in people's lives in Kibera. With your support, we can provide support and resources that bring greater stability, community and dignity to the people living there.
Your donations
Although the Covid pandemic temporarily curtailed team visits from the UK, activities actually stepped up a gear because of the community feeding initiatives we were supporting. Our regular projects were able to continue through Covid, and have since returned to normal. Our first post-pandemic UK team visit was in September 2022 and we are planning for future visits which will focus on our different project areas.
For just £5, you can provide a tutor for a drugs awareness and restoration session at a school or a food parcel for four families living in hard-to-reach areas of the Kibera slum.
Your money also helps to support our other initiatives in the area, helping us to foster an independent community in Kibera for the long term that will make a difference for years to come.
The Covid 19 pandemic temporarily curtailed team visits from the UK, but that didn't mean that activities stopped; in fact, they stepped up a gear because of community feeding initiatives. Our regular projects are progressing and continue to be supported by the UK team, albeit remotely. In September 2022 we were able to make a reconnaissance visit with a small team to assess the projects on the ground and begin to plan our next steps with our local partners. Check out our blog and our New Community Kibera Facebook page to keep up with current activities.
Tempted to come? Even if there's only a small chance of you participating in this or a future trip or contributing in another way, contact us at newcommunitykibera@gmail.com to start a conversation. It doesn't commit you to anything at this stage, but who knows where it may lead?