A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project (AP) recruits students to help marginalized communities tell their story and claim their rights.

• Recent Posts

  • Tutaonana badaye, Kenya
  • Trains and Things
  • Beatrice Atieno Oginga
  • Sweet Soweto
  • Tanzania, Ndovu, and Marketing

• RSS Feed

  • All Entries
  • All Comments
  • This Tag

Posts tagged Gigiri

Happy Madaraka Day!

Kristen Maryn | Posted June 1st, 2011 | Africa

Tags: Gigiri, Hakijamii, Home, housing, Kenya, Nairobi, The Advocacy Project

I arrived in Nairobi four days ago and have been working on a few things for school (law school apparently never takes a break), as well as settling in and spending time with my host family.  I was lucky enough to find a place to stay with my uncle’s friends in Gigiri, which is a far distance from Hakijamii, but is a beautiful place to live.

Oasis

It feels a bit strange to be living in a place this nice, especially when I’ll be advocating for people who hardly have access to water, let alone that amount space to spread out.  My search for housing in Nairobi definitely put into perspective the unavailability of affordable housing…if it was that difficult for me, it’s hard to imagine the search for Kenyans.  I just feel lucky this family was willing to take me in.

Today marks the day Kenya achieved self-rule in 1963 – a sort of pre-independence independence day (official independence day is in December).  Most Kenyans have the day off, and I joined them, officially starting work tomorrow.  I’m looking forward to meeting the staff and getting the work plan finalized.

No Comments »

Fellow: Kristen Maryn

Hakijami

• Kristen’s biography

  

  Kristen will serve as a Peace Fellow for the summer in Nairobi, Kenya, working with Hakijamii (the Economics and Social Rights Centre), which fights homelessness and evictions in Kenya's urban centers. She will focus on improving coordination among the network of 150 organizations that Hakijamii supports, attracting new partners to its network, and building international support for its work.

  Kristen received her BS in Business Administration and BA in Sociology from the University of Arizona in 2007. Upon graduating, she traveled to Nigeria to work with a micro-finance program. While in the States, Kristen focused on the organizational structure and sustainability of the program. In Nigeria, she worked with the female recipients of the loans. Since returning from Nigeria, she has worked in corporate management.

  Kristen is pursuing her JD at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC. She is an active member of Georgetown Human Rights Action, organizing advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill and is enrolled in the Refugees and Humanitarian Emergencies Certification Program. She is focusing her legal studies on International Law, with an emphasis in migration issues, conflict amelioration, and alternative dispute resolution.
  Read more...

  
  Kristen’s Flickr Photos