<

Wilson Youth Group, one of Undugu’s many Street Associations. They got their name because they live close to Wilson Airport. The members are all homeless without so much as a semi-permanent shelter. They live on the street, they work on the street.

Wilson Youth Group posing next the the dump site by Wilson Airport.

Wilson Youth Group posing next the the dump site by Wilson Airport.

They have a constitution, and they have a dog. However, they cannot register with the government because they don’t have IDs. If you don’t have an ID, it is assumed you are a child, and a child cannot register an organization.

To earn money they dig through the trash which is brought from Wilson Airport and dumped next to their base. When the garbage is being delivered, people line the walls of the dump site, and as soon as the bags hit the ground each individual starts pulling as much trash towards himself as possible. They compete for the most garbage. They can sell almost everything they find: plastic, paper, glass, empty printer cartridges, bones, soles of shoes…

Unfortunately it has been several weeks since Wilson Airport has dropped off any trash. And if there is no garbage, then they can’t make any money, and they can’t eat. They can’t go to Wilson Airport to pick up garbage themselves or they will be arrested for trespassing (they’ve tried this before). They are barely able to scrape by making less than 100 shillings in two days ($1.30).

They sleep where they can, under what they call “papers” (plastic sheets), old boxes and newspapers. When it rains they do their best to cover up, they acted this out for me to illustrate how even if they cover up when they wake up in the morning at least one side of their body is completely wet.

They took turns showing me where they sleep at night.

They took turns showing me where they sleep at night.

Perhaps the biggest problem they face is police harassment. When the police find them just laying around outside (trying to sleep) they are often beaten or arrested… “for being idle.” Recently 10 members of Wilson Youth Group were arrested. They were at a nearby pub when the police arrived and arrested everyone inside:men, women, and children. They were accused of being drunk and disorderly.

They explained that “if you’ve got a little something for the police then it’s OK, but if you have nothing in your pockets…”

They were all sentenced to two weeks in prison or to pay a fine of 500 shillings a piece, which none of them had. If Undugu learns about the arrest of anyone involved in a Street Association, they will go to court and advocate on that person’s behalf. Unfortunately, in this case it all happened too quickly and no one called Undugu. So all 10 spent two weeks in prison.

Mambo, talking about his recent experience in prison.

Mambo, talking about his recent experience in prison.

Here is what I learnt about Kenyan prisons. They are extremely overcrowded with about 150 people in a 10m by 6 m room. They have to sleep like “firewood” (or sardines). If one person rolls over, then everyone has to as well. For breakfast they get a cup of watery porridge, for lunch a small handful of ugali and some greenish water with a leaf of skuma wiki floating around. There is a little shop inside the prison, if one has money they can buy more food. Good luck to the individual who is seen with money in prison. Apparently, young teenage boys can be found in the same prison as grown men. If a child is arrested by themselves they are taken to a juvenile facility; however, if they are arrested in a group with older guys then they are treated like the older ones.

Of course it is dangerous to be young and small in such a situation. A DSP participant told me that when he was in prison when he was 12 years old the older men would take his food, his blanket, his shoes, his clothing…and of course the young boys were beaten.

Saturday, instead of holding a training session, Digital Storytelling visited Smart Club to learn more about Leadership, Democracy, and Governance in Kenya. Here is a short video with the coordinator of the event, Ken Owabe, and one of DSP’s participants, Elias.

<

One of Undugu’s successful programs, the one I have been working with all summer, is the Street Association model. Undugu finds groups of street youth and children, basically gangs, and helps them through a transformational process to make positive changes in their lives. Through this process young people are encouraged to be responsible for themselves, to find legitimate ways to earn money, and to reintegrate into society.

Street Associations create their own constitution, deciding what the rules and principles their members will live by. They also elect their own leadership, choosing the positions of chairman(or woman), vice-chairman, treasurer, and secretary. Together they identify the problems that most directly affect them and seek solutions.

Undugu helps them through weekly visits by Project Officers (social workers) and youth facilitators (young people who have successfully completed the Street Association transformational process). Undugu coordinates activities, provides guidance and aid where possible, holds training workshops, and lobbies and advocates on behalf of all street youth. The workshops are held regularly and range in topic from leadership, drugs, HIV/AIDS, and civic rights. Undugu also offers vocational training workshops.

Each street association is unique and although they all share many of the same struggles, how they come together as a group to deal with the problems will determine their success. Many groups suffer from lack of leadership or fights over leadership while others struggle because of drug and alcohol abuse. Despite these problems many Street Associations are successful and their members are able to lead productive lives.

One of the most successful groups that we have encountered is Ahadi. Ahadi is based in the outskirts of Kibera near a market. This group formed because 18 young men between the ages of 15 and 22 decided to become responsible adults. For them the most important thing was to stop hustling and to start earning an income legitimately. The way they did this was by first clearing what was a garbage dump. The process took months, with only one shovel they took turns working. They recycled what they could and burnt the rest. Once the site was cleared, they planted a kale garden. This process started last winter, and by the time I first met the group in early July they had a full garden and a growing business.

They sold large bags of kale for 50 shillings. They saved up the money they made and invested in a wheeled-cart which they now use to transport goods for a fee. Because their garden and the work that they do is so visible they have a much better relationship with their surrounding community than most other Associations.

Ahadi is not perfect. They share the same struggles as the other Associations. They are short on cash, a little bit of money for a new shovel could make a big difference. All the members are homeless, most of them live on the streets and a few live in a little shelter they have build. Like most Street Associations they are not registered with the government, and because they do not own the land they are using this could cause problems in the future.

Overall we feel that Ahadi’s model is an excellent one,especially because of their good ties with the community. For this reason we hope to replicate the same model in other areas around Nairobi.

Check out this short video about Ahadi!

<

On site visits in the slums it is not unusual for people to ask me for things: I need someone to sponsor me, I want to go to America, I want to go back to school, I need milk for my baby, we need money to build a new wing for our school/orphanage. It has become a reflex to say “I am sorry,  that is not what I do.” Last Thursday I got a new request, “Can you help me get an ID.” This was asked by a member of one of the Street Associations I’ve been working with. He said that he had all the paper work he needed, but when he went to the office to get his ID they asked for 1000 ksh because he is over 18 years old. ID’s are supposed to be free, but he did not know that so he left without one.

Cylus shows us the scales he used to do to weigh scrap metals and plastics. He needs an ID so he can apply for a small loan to restart his business.

Cylus shows us the scales he used to do to weigh scrap metals and plastics. He needs an ID so he can apply for a small loan to restart his business.

Proper identification and registration for groups is a very big deal. Without proper ID you cannot get a job, and without registering it is illegal for groups to meet. As I have previously discussed, young people living in the streets and in the slums are especially vulnerable to police harassment. Unregistered groups are in danger of being arrested simply for meeting. Unfortunately the registration process can be a difficult one.

In addition to protecting the group from police harassment, registration also allows groups to open a joint bank account, and it is the first step towards become a Community Based Organization (CBO). Once CBO status has been achieved, the group can have access to certain government funds as well as funds from other organizations. For these reasons, Undugu strongly encourages all Street Associations to register with the Ministry of Children, Gender and Social Services.

To register the group needs four things:

1. a list of all members,

2. a written constitution,

3. national ID cards (or the card numbers) for the majority of members,

4. 1000-1500 ksh for the registration fee ($13-$20).

The registration must be renewed every year.

Undugu helps by offering advice and support throughout the procedure. Each Street Association is required to write a constitution, regardless of how close they are to registering. The biggest difficulty is the national ID card. You can imagine that most young people living in the streets do not have any form of identification. To get an ID card all you need is a birth certificate; however, many of these young people are orphans or have not seen their parents in years and therefore do not have their birth certificates. There are other documents that can be used to get a national ID card. For example, baptism certificates, documents indicating they attended school, or photocopies of their parents ID cards. If they can get even one of these documents, Undugu will write a cover letter on their behalf.

Kenge'the (left) a Youth Facilitator and Buthania (right) a Project Officer talk to River Jordan Street Association about their group's progress.

Kenge'the (left) a Youth Facilitator and Buthania (right) a Project Officer talk to River Jordan Street Association about their group's progress.

If an individual has absolutely no documentation to prove that they are indeed Kenyan, the situation becomes even more complicated. They can go for a medical check-up and their dental records will be used to estimate age. And they will require an affidavit from someone who can speak on their behalf to prove they are indeed Kenyan.

Understandably it is unusual for enough of a Street Association’s members to have identification. Once they do the next problem is coming up with the money to register. Undugu encourages each group to save enough money to register. However, collectively saving 1000 or 1500 shillings is not easy when you do not have a bank account. Some members of the group are always more dedicated that others, and some will not contribute at all.

Those few groups that do manage to register are very proud of their achievement. They are also more confident in their activities, and can live with a bit less fear. One of Undugu’s Project Officers estimated that only 15-20 of the 140 Street Associations are registered.

We have recently experienced a string of fires in Nairobi. Fires are not uncommon; however, in the eight weeks I have only seen two, both of which occurred in this past week. This post will contain mostly photos with a bit of text to explain what happened.

The first fire occurred last Monday night in Westlands right next to the Undugu office. We are experiencing electricity rationing in Nairobi; Monday nights we have no electricity in Westlands. The next day as Barbara and I were approaching the office with Iain Guest, the director of the Advocacy Project, we noticed smoke. As we approached the intersection next to the office we saw that the entire market had burnt down.

Photo by Barbara Dziedzic, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Barbara Dziedzic, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

The market was an informal settlement composed of aluminum shacks. I assumed that during the power outage, someone had accidentally knocked over an oil lamp; however, it now seems far more likely that the City Council burnt it down.  Westlands is considered far too nice a neighborhood to have such a market. Apparently, the slum/market area close to a friends office was bulldozed that same week by the City Council.

Photo by Barbara Dziedzic, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Barbara Dziedzic, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

In any case, the market is gone. Tuesday and Wednesday people stood around where their shops used to be, unsure what to do. Since then they have started rebuilding, but it is only a mater of time until the market is destroyed again.

The next day, Wednesday, we were in Kibera, taking Iain around to meet some of the Street Associations in the area when we stumbled upon a crowd. Kibera is experiencing the brunt of the electricity shortages, they only have power a couple days a week. Wednesday there was no power. Somehow a fire started in someones home, and it quickly spread to the adjoining houses. We are not sure how the fire started, but this time it is far more likely that the cause can be attributed to the power outage.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

A fire in Kibera, or any slum for that matter, is a huge problem because the houses are built practically on top of each other. If one house were to catch fire, hundred of homes could be destroyed. For this reason people living or working around the houses on fire quickly emptied their homes of all their belongings.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

To prevent the fire from spreading, the houses next to the ones on fire are torn down.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Here you can see men on top of the houses that were on fire, beating down the the walls to smother the flames.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Women stood with all their belongings which were emptied from their homes.

No fire trucks showed up, and even if they had there was no where to pump water from. Instead, people passed buckets of water to try to tame the flames.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Kenya is currently experiencing a major drought. Not only is electricity being rationed, but so is water. We were very worried that they might run out of water before putting out the fire.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Children watched from a nearby balcony.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

The crowd was huge. People watched, helplessly. There was nothing we could do to help.

Photo by Alixa Sharkey, 2009 AP Fellow. AP Partner: Undugu Society of Kenya. Nairobi, Kenya.

Seeing these fires reinforced in my mind just how vulnerable people are in the slums. The lack of government services in the slums is shocking. In the end this community was about to get the fire under control and eventually put it out; however, it could easily have been much worse.

I’ve been in Nairobi for two weeks now, and a post is long overdue. I’ve had some difficulty bringing myself to write my first post but not for lack of material; I have experienced and learnt so much since I arrived. However, I think I have been feeling some sort of detachment from reality. Let me try to explain. My first day here I went to visit Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world, with Barbara, the other Advocacy Project Peace Fellow who had already been here for a week before I arrived. It was a good visit; but afterward, when Barbara asked me if I had been shocked by what I had seen, I thought about it and was surprised to find that I wasn’t shocked. In fact Kibera was very much what I expected. I did not feel overwhelmed by the incredible poverty and deprivation I had witnessed.

Throughout the slums you see small children playing or just sitting in the mud.

Throughout the slums you see small children playing or just sitting in the mud.

Over the next week I visited several other areas of Nairobi, upon reflecting on these visits I found that I felt no real emotions in response. I felt a numbness or separation from the horrific poverty and living conditions I was witnessing daily. I found myself greatly disturbed by my lack of emotion, which felt to me like lack of empathy. I had many conversations with friends who tried to help me understand my reaction. But I wasn’t satisfied. It wasn’t until I started describing in greater detail some of the things I had seen to a friend back home that I realized that I was actually very much affected by everything I had seen and all the stories I had been told. Typing out the stories over a g-chat, almost in tears in Undugu’s office, I happily realized that I am still human! I simply didn’t known how to process everything I was taking in. This resulted in a sort of paralysis, which really was not allowing me to do my work effectively. I am supposed to be “telling the story” and not just reflecting on the story endlessly.

So, I suppose this gets to be my outlet. And it is time to start telling the story of the marginalized youth in Nairobi. But before I get ahead of myself, I will explain what exactly it is I am supposed to be doing here this summer. For the next two months I will be in Nairobi working with the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK). USK’s mission is to rehabilitate street children and empower communities. In the past few years they have added advocacy to their various programs, hoping to give a voice to the vulnerable and marginalized children and youth in Kenya.

Members of a Street Association gathered to learn about the Digital Storytelling Project.

Members of a Street Association gathered to learn about the Digital Storytelling Project.

Last year Kristina Rosinsky, another Advocacy Project Peace Fellow, started the Digital Storytelling Project, which allowed 12 young people belonging to Undugu’s informal schools and Street Associations to self-advocate using photography and blogs to tell their stories. Together they identified police harassment, glue-sniffing/drugs, and the environment as three of the biggest issues of concern in their lives. Unfortunately, for a multitude of reasons, once Kristina left the project was put on hold.

This summer I will be working with Barbara Dziedzic, another AP Fellow, as well as two of the young men who participated in the project last year, Martin and Joseph. Together we will be relaunching and retooling the program so that it may be sustained, hopefully for years to come. When I asked Martin and Joseph why they wanted to continue working on this project they explained the great need to change the negative stereotypes that young people face in Nairobi. Young people living in the slums throughout Nairobi are most often perceived to be violent criminals, perhaps this stereotype has grown even stronger as a result of the post-electoral violence last year. Martin also expressed the need to talk about the issues that they face everyday to try to change their circumstances. Their blogs can be accessed here: Martin Ndung’u and Joseph Gachira. And so that is what I will be trying to do this summer, or winter in Kenya: trying to help a new group of young people find their voices in the hopes of changing and bettering their lives.

Joseph (left) and Martin (right) help plan the relaunching event over breakfast.

Joseph (left) and Martin (right) help plan the relaunching event over breakfast.

I will be using this blog to document my time in Nairobi and to share what I learn through the Undugu Society of Kenya (USK) and by working with street children in Nairobi. Throughout the summer I will be posting about my experience, including interviews, photos, and videos. However, I will not be departing for Kenya until June 23^rd. Perhaps that is why the fact that I will be spending three months in Nairobi has not completely sunk in. While most AP fellows will be leaving in the next few days or weeks for the summer, I cannot leave for another month as my classes are not yet over.  For this reason it feels a bit strange to be writing my first blog post already.

This doesn’t mean that my fellowship and the street children of Nairobi have not been on my mind. I chose to apply for this fellowship program because of the blogs written by the previous two Advocacy Fellows who worked with the USK . Their stories had a great impact on me and I have been reflecting on all the problems they encountered during their fellowships, wondering how they may be addressed. I hope to do as good a job as they did in communicating my experiences with whoever might be willing to read/listen.

In preparation for this summer I have been using Kenya as a case study in one of my classes. For my term paper I have been studying the presidential system in Kenya and making suggestions as to how it may be improved. In the past few weeks I have begun to feel a bit overwhelmed in trying to find solutions to such a complex problem. I feel much the same way about the street children in Nairobi. I truly hope my efforts in advocating for their rights will have some impact. Above all, I hope to help them advocate for themselves so that their own voices might be heard.

In the coming weeks before I depart I will post more information about The Advocacy Project and the Undugu Society of Kenya and what I will be doing over the summer.