REAL-LIFE EXPERIENCE FOR A CHILD IN KIBERA SLUM
Life for a child in Kibra is often defined by poverty and daily struggles.
Many children grow up in overcrowded homes with inadequate access to clean water, nutritious food, and healthcare. Education is often out of reach due to financial constraints, forcing many children to work or remain idle.
Homes in Kibra are typically small, ranging from 10×10 feet to 12×12 feet, made of materials like mud, corrugated iron sheets, or timber. These structures often house entire families, resulting in cramped living conditions. Basic amenities like electricity, running water, or sanitation facilities are limited or shared among many households. The size and setup reflect the economic challenges faced by residents while highlighting the resilience of the community.
Life in Kibra slum for a child is marked by profound lack and hardship, with limited access to education compounding the struggles faced by families. Reagan Ochieng, the fourth of five boys, experienced this reality firsthand. His unemployed mother, scraping by without resources, brought him to Jamii Yetu Educational Centre at just 1.5 years old. Despite the challenges, Reagan officially began his educational journey at age three, finding hope and opportunity in the supportive environment of the center. This is the similar story of 200 hundred children in our facility – finding hope in the mist of hopelessness.
OUR DESPERATE APPEAL
But not all slum kids’ stories are a success story. The harsh and toxic slum environment swallows many a child who had no means of education or a proper upgringing.
In the case of girls there is forced prostitution by the Family, Teenage pregnancies that become dangerous when they try to procure back door abortions and those that carry the pregnancy full term unfortunately become Childl-Mothers perpetuating the cycle of poverty deeper. There is also the risk of contracting diseases like HIV and othr sexually transmitted diseases. Others end up in forced labour or in extreme cases forced drug peddllers
For the boys, many are forcibly initiated into dangerous gang life because of the extreme poverty and lack of opportunities. They also start abusing and peddling drugs as well as illicit cheap alcohol at a very tender age of 8 to 10 years. This aggravates the situation as they are forced to a life of crime to buy the drugs to overcome the addictions. They also become teenage fathers due to illicit sexual exposure and are also exposed to HIV and veneral diseases.
SLUM HOUSES
Another perennial thorn in the flesh is slum accommodation. The houses very small (6 square meters). Theya are mostly made of mud, plastic bags or old rusted iron sheets with mud flooring. These houses are crammed with an average family size of 6 people. Unfortunately, this creates an unhealthy living situation as many young girls and at times boys are sexually molested and mentally traumatized by neighbors or their close relatives.