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Kibera

Have you heard of Kibera? You might not know the name, but the scenes may be familiar as it has been made famous by a number of recent movies including the Oscar-nominated movie The Constant Gardener. Kibera is the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa and is located about 5km southeast of Nairobi’s city centre. It has a population of around one million people, (around one in three people from Nairobi live there) and approximately one-third of the people are HIV positive.

Kibera was established by the British as a residence for Nubian soldiers returning from war in the 1920s. It has grown considerably since this time and is subject to land conflicts as the land is illegally tenanted. All of Kenya’s 42 tribes are now represented in Kibera and as such is rich in cultural and historical diversity offering a unique and widely varying environment for those who work and live there. It is as fascinating as some of the projects run in the slums aimed at improving its inhabitants’ prospects and quality of life.

This is an amazing place to get a unique insight into the life of the average Kenyan, away from the regular tourist trail. Kibera is packed with small businesses and organisations which have been established to improve the life and prospects of people living in Kibera. There are many great enterprises which support families effected by HIV, youth projects, or providing independence and skills to unemployed residents. Hopefully you will also feel inspired by people who have so little, but are motivated to make a difference for themselves and future generations.

There are many projects which work to raise money by making souvenirs and locally-saleable products, including music cds, beadwork and solar panels to name just a few. There are also many projects established aimed at improving the living conditions and environment and focus on sanitary, rubbish and other social problems.

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