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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.

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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!

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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.

The Digital Storytelling Project is forming partnerships with community radio stations around Nairobi. Our hope is that through community radio the DSP participants will be better able to share their stories with their community and start a dialogue about the issues that most affect their lives.

Last week I went with a few of our students to visit Koch FM. Koch FM is based in the slums of Korogocho. It was established in 2006 and is currently working to deliver a message of peace and reconciliation to the youth in the area. Hopefully soon our students will be contributing to their programs!

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I recently had a conversation with a Kenyan man (who will remain unnamed). He was surprised at what Barbara and I have been doing here and seemed very negative about the project in general. He felt that the skills and knowledge we are sharing with young people living in the slums will be wasted on them, and that instead we should be working solely with students in schools. Unfortunately he is not the first person I have met who has voiced opposition to this project. What is the point, can they even be taught, they ask. Is it safe to work with them?

The whole purpose of Digital Storytelling is to give a voice to the voiceless. Who could be better served by such a project than those who are completely marginalized by their society? The young people we are working with are smart and kind, and under different circumstances they would be living very different lives. They are doing the best they can with the few resources they have, and instead of turning to crime and violence they are trying to express themselves and better themselves through the work that they do and now through their blogs.

That being said, training people who have never used a computer before can be tricky. Imagine using a touchpad on a laptop for the very first time. For those of us who use computers regularly knowing when to click once versus when to double-click has become an instinct; once upon a time we had to learn even that. The training sessions have their ups and downs; if a student accidentally navigates away from the page he/she was using it usually leads to an unnecessary “sorry sorry sorry!” But we are able to laugh together and work through it. They are eager to learn and their curiosity helps them learn quickly.

Martin Tete, Elias, and Liz listen as Martin explains how to create folders.

Martin Tete, Elias, and Liz listen as Martin explains how to create folders.

Here are all seven blogs that have been started so far. Most of them have multiple posts now. If you can, please leave these guys some feedback. They are sharing their lives with the world so that the lives of all youth living in the streets and in slums can be better understood.

Kennedy: http://kennedykabiru.wordpress.com/

Mwiti: http://mwitigitonga.wordpress.com/

Patricia: http://patriciawarigia.wordpress.com/

Jane: http://janenjoki10.wordpress.com/

Liz: http://lizmuthoniwairimu.wordpress.com/

Elias: http://eliasomondi.wordpress.com/

Martin Tete: http://martintetemutiso.wordpress.com/

Martin and Joseph, the young men who are helping us train the students, have also been updating their blogs:

Martin: http://martinndugu.wordpress.com/

Joseph: http://josephgachira.wordpress.com/

Kennedy practices renaming files.

Kennedy practices renaming files.

Yesterday afternoon Barbara and I were surprised to find out that one of the young people we have been working with, Shakur, was arrested Sunday evening. We were especially surprised because we had tea with him at one of our student’s home just a few hours before his arrest.

Apparently Shakur was walking with some other guys around dusk to visit a friend in another slum. Along the way they were stopped by the police, which is not uncommon. Three of them, including Shakur, were arrested. Why those three and not the others? Shakur’s brother, who was with him at the time, claims that Shakur was singled out because his hair was unkept. The police later charged him with being drunk, although he was not. Again, this is very typical; young men are often arrested, for no real reason, and later charged with being intoxicated. They have no way to prove their innocence in these cases.

In a recent visit to his community, Shakur showed us around, took us to his home, and let us pet a baby goat.

In a recent visit to his community, Shakur showed us around, took us to his home, and let us pet a baby goat.

We found this out Monday afternoon, and both Barbara and I were ready storm the jail with video cameras to get Shakur and his friends out. We have heard that when young people get arrested here it can take months for the case to make it to court, and in the meantime they are stuck in jail. Shakur ended up being relatively lucky. He was actually formally charged on Monday and was fined 500 Kenyan shillings (about $6.67) or a day of service in the court. He did not have to spend months in prison waiting for a trial and we did not have to bust him out. Nevertheless, $6.67 is an enormous amount of money for someone like Shakur who can only work informally collecting garbage or washing cars.

Now, maybe if Shakur had had a bit of money on him when he was arrested, he would have been spared the trouble. At this point we have heard countless stories about people being harassed by the police for a bribe. And these young people living in the slums are easy targets because they do not know their rights and have no grounds to challenge the police. One of our students, Mwiti, used to run a small stall selling vegetables in Mathare until the police tore it down one day. The police demanded payment because he didn’t have the proper paperwork, but because he had no money to give them they destroyed his only means of supporting himself. You can check out his blog here.

Transparency International recently published that the Kenyan Police are the most corrupt institution in Eastern Africa. (link to report). I am no longer shocked when I see police officers beating matatu drivers with their batons. In fact, just the other day Barbara and I were in a matatu when a police officer stuck his baton through the window to jab the driver in the back of the head. Why did the police officer do this? Not sure. We may have been picking up passengers in an illegal pick up zone. But still, was the violence really necessary?

Nairobi is well know for the for its high crime rates and I question how much the police force has done to help the situation. Does harassing and incarcerating young men who were innocently walking down the street reduce the number of carjackings? Does shutting down vegetable stalls or car washes operated by young people in the slums do anything but encourage young people to turn to crime since they cannot make a living through peaceful means? Does beating matatu drivers do anything but make people distrust the police even more than they already do?

On Sunday Shakur’s friends told us a beautiful story about how the young people in their community had prevented the post-election violence from reaching their community. Unlike many slums in the area, different tribal groups did not fight each other in Mitumba; however, because of their proximity to Kibera, they were worried about other people coming in and setting fires. They recognized that no one else was going to protect them. So the young people in Mitumba got together and stayed up all night for a week keeping guard and preventing strangers from coming in. They guarded their community the way we would expect the police to at home. And it is these same young people who are being thrown in jail just for walking down the street. This makes no sense at all.

A couple of new students were able to start up their blogs. Check them out! And leave them some comments!

Elias: http://eliasomondi.wordpress.com/

Liz: http://lizmuthoniwairimu.wordpress.com/

There should be more soon!

On Saturday, with the help of a translator, I interviewed three potential participants for Digital Storytelling. The participants we have so far are between the ages of 17 and 23, so we are trying to find a few younger people. When John, Joseph, and Patrick walked into the office I thought I was looking at two 8 year olds and a 10 year old. But they turned out to be 12, 15, and 16 respectively. None of them speak English, and only one is literate, so Morris, an Undugu volunteer, helped me talk with them.

The Undugu model tries to put younger people into schools; for this reason I’ve had little interaction with people under the age of 17 through Undugu and DSP, except with babies and toddlers. John, Joseph, and Patrick belong to a Street Association called “Young Brothers.” There are 12 members between the ages of 12 and 16. None of them go to school, and to raise money they collect plastic and scrap metal, a very common activity among the young people I’ve met.

Here is Joseph, the eldest of the bunch at 16 (sorry, not a great photo)

Here is Patrick, the eldest of the bunch at 16 (sorry, not a great photo)

We started talking about some of the problems the Young Brothers face and I was a little surprised when the first thing they mentioned was “getting food.” Hunger is a concern for most vulnerable children and youth in the slums where eating three full meals a day is often considered a luxury. However, I had never heard hunger mentioned as the first major issue a group has to deal with, which indicated to me that hunger is a much bigger problem for this group. The second problem they mentioned was housing. All 12 had been sharing a room together, but they were not able to afford the rent and where kicked out. Where do they sleep? Wherever they can.

John, although the youngest, was the most vocal and the other two would occasionally chime in with their own remarks. Many in their group do not have shoes, which makes walking through the slums and rummaging through the garbage dangerous considering there is broken glass everywhere. While sorting through the trash they are often pierced by used hypodermic needles. They are worried about germs, but don’t know what to do about it.

John (12) and Joseph (15)

John (12) and Joseph (15)

Despite these hazards, they fill big bags full of resalable plastic and scrap metal. The problem is once their bags are full, older boys will come along, beat them up, and take their bags. Joseph, who is very small for his age, talked about being forced into the bag he uses to collect scraps and then being beaten with glass bottles. Collecting and selling plastic and metal is the only option available to them to make money legally, which is why they continue to do so despite the risks that come along with it.

Two kids sorting through a dump site in Kibera.

Two kids sorting through a dump site in Kibera.

You might be wondering where the police are, and why they are not stopping these boys from being beaten. Actually, when the police find them and the boys happen to have a bit of money because they have just sold a big bag of recyclables, the police “assume” the money was attained through illegal means, beat the kids, and take their money. The police beat the kids and take their money.

One final problem. Drinking water. They can’t afford it. So, they pick up whatever half-empty bottles they find lying around and drink from them. They don’t know where the water comes from; they don’t know if the water is safe to drink. But they are thirsty and they need water, so they drink it.

John, Joseph, and Patrick were shy. They didn’t make eye contact while telling me their stories. But when I asked to take their picture, they started making goofy faces for the camera. When I left them alone for a while, from the other end of the room I watched them joking around and laughing. They are no different than young people you would meet at a US middle school or high school…except they are perpetually hungry and in constant danger in their environment or from the people they should be able to trust, other members of their community and the police.