As a result, the slum dwellers today have very few rights, there are no government funded facilities such as schools, clinics and libraries, although two public water pipes were installed some years ago. Schools and medical facilities are almost exclusively provided by charities - some local, some from afar. Although a census was taken in 2009, true numbers remain a mystery with estimates varying from 250,000 to over a million.
Kibera is a busy, densely-populated community on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. Many families have lived there for four or five generations. Since independence from Britain in 1963, (having been under British control since 1888), the community has been declared an 'illegal settlement', but it was not always so.
Our farm was established to feed and provide learning opportunities for the children at the academy. The Kibera Free Methodist Academy has over three hundred children from the ages of 4 to 13. The children all live in the vicinity of the school. Many come from single parent families, but all are from homes with very low incomes as unemployment is high in Kibera. The school is supported by an American based charity who we partner with and help support projects carried out at the school.
The Kibera Community
Our project works in the middle of one of the biggest slums in Kenya called Kibera. Continue reading below to find out more about the area, the academy and the people we are trying to reach
Behind the Academy