I am soon leaving for my holiday and then to Kenya where I will be doing a range of charity work for different Kenyan communities.  One of the main communities I hope to assist in is Kibera.  If you can support the cause then please assist me:  Visit www.findyourfeet.com.au for more details on how to donate to the cause:

KIBERA, NAIROBI: One of the world’s largest slums…

Background

Kibera, Africa’s largest slum, is a microcosm of many of the world’s most vexing issues – poverty & unemployment, poor healthcare, severe water shortage, the spread of HIV infection and lack of women ’s rights. More than 1,000,000 people live in this 630-acre area (about 2.5 square kilometers) approximately 4km from Nairobi City Centre. It is one of the most densely populated urban settlements in the world.

The vast majority of Kibera’s residents live in abject poverty with few government services. Kibera also faces an exploding youth population, which now represents over half of the slum’s entire population. According to a 2003 study by Oxfam, 37% of school-going age children were not even in the educational system and 70% of the children attending school have limited access to informal schools and community centers. Approximately 80% of all youth in Kibera lack formal employment, while the UN estimates that 35-45% of the entire slum population is unemployed or underemployed. The vain pursuit of employment to meet basic human needs has left so many of Kibera’s youth without hope and purpose and many families suffering. As thus, even the most exceptional and promising youth in Kibera lack opportunities to get formal education, lead a healthy life and lead others as an agent of change.

Kibera Community Sport Development Program (K.C.S.D.P) is a non-profit organization; which is located in Gatwikira sub-location in Kibera, founded in August 2008 to encourage parents and their children to interact in a unique social program offering interesting sport-industry career development and competitive sports/sport development. The K.C.S.D.P concept is based upon the idea that poverty is not inability, but a cyclical process of disempowerment that is experienced through the denial of choices, and opportunities, discrimination, displacement and a myriad of ill experiences experienced by persons living in the slum.

Most homes in Kibera do not have electricity so when the sun sets it becomes very difficult for the students to study. The library project will facilitate learning for over 100 students in the program, while providing them with the much needed books that are often way beyond what they could afford. The program seeks to spread its message of sports to the community while at the same time creatively empower and facilitate them to deal with the various challenges and inadequacies facing persons living in the slum in their pursuit of excellence in sport related programs and health initiatives. Our major areas of focus include: athlete training and school education, personal and career development.

This proposal outlines the program activities and draws support for the construction of athlete hostels to enable more athletes from different parts of Kibera to attend our training and provide after-dark study environment for athletes to study.

 

OUTLINE OF THE PROJECTS:

Athlete Development

The programs involve encouraging individuals to join athlete training sessions and endorse sports as a way of life/ career. All the necessary support including: equipment, coaching and moral support is offered to the athletes.

 

Running for Education

A majority of families in Kibera cannot afford to pay for secondary school fees, which by Western terms are fairly small.  This program endeavors to help pay their school fees. With ‘Running for Education’ we want to motivate them to stay in school while pursuing their athletic careers. This is aimed at:

Ø Keep promising young Kenyan athletes in school by providing financial support. Ø Create a conducive environment for learning at home.

 

Sanitary Towel Distribution

Over 90% of females in Kibera above the age of 12 years do not have access to sanitary towels. They use any materials at their disposal to stem the debris flow during their menstrual cycle. This has had some serious effect on the athletes, which include; girls missing school days, venereal infections such as candidadis due to use of ill-advised materials, consequentially this results in loss of self esteem and self confidence and dwindling athletic and scholarly performances. The program therefore initiated a monthly sanitary towel distribution exercise aimed at alleviating the above problems. This has greatly helped to increase the self-esteem and confidence of the female athletes.

 

 

A LITTLE MORE INFORMATION:

To date, over 150 individuals, including 80 women and girls have been enrolled into the athlete training sessions, while other hundreds are eagerly awaiting the next enrollment dates. Our target is to recruit 1,000 individuals by the end of the year 2010 and 5,000 athletes across all disciplines by the year 2015. The completion of this project will go along way in helping us cater for more runners and improve proficiency in our services to the community.

 

Due to the growing number of new entrants to the programme, the organization therefore is seeking for assistance to construct a sports centre to facilitate smooth running of its activities. The organization is currently running under limited office space. The ‘Kimbia Salama’ Project is a ambitious undertaking by the management of the Program to construct: an office, athlete hostels (50 beds), a mini-library, equipment store and kitchen to facilitate the program activities. The hostels will make it possible to accommodate athletes from other parts of Kibera who may not attend our training programs at certain times due to security concerns while the library will make it possible for the school-going children to study after dark. We have already acquired space within the Kibera slum for the construction of the project.  The time-frame for completion is 1st October 2010.

 

TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE:

Costs:

Building Materials: $7000 AUS

50 double beds and beddings: $4000 AUS

Kitchen Equipment: $1500 AUS

Cost of Library text- books: $1200 AUS

 

Total Cost of Project: 16,969.00 AUS

For more information on the project please contact Hanny Allston or you can talk with the founder and director, Vincent Ochieng: