B) KABIRO COMMUNITY
Kabiro Human Development Project was initiated by Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA), a US-based NGO back in 1975. The project serves the expansive slums of Kawangware with a population of 133,286 (2009 census) and Kangemi with a population of 100,000 (2009 census). So far, it caters to its community through 4 programs: a school (elementary and high school), clinic, youth groups and women’s groups. The programs are managed by a committee of volunteers from the same community, heftily-dependent on donations from the government and well-wishers.
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1) Kabiro School
Kabiro School serves the less-fortunate children within the environs of Kawangware and Kangemi slums.
It started out as a pre-school and an adult learning center in 1975. At the time, the requirements to join a public school were quite high hence there were plenty of children who failed to meet the threshold. The school had relaxed rules to accommodate these marginalized lot, to be at par with their peers.
ICA helped run the school until 1987. Since then, the school is run by a board of volunteers drawn from the community. Teachers, too, are volunteers from the community although they receive a stipend. The school has a flexible fee payment structure which allows parents to keep their children in school, who would otherwise turn to vices under different circumstances. Recently, the school started a feeding program to encourage children to stay in school all day.
Currently, the school has 200 pupils in Primary School (equivalent of Elementary School) and 120 students in Secondary School (equivalent of High School).
2) Kabiro Clinic
The Kabiro Clinic is the only community-based clinic within the Kawangware and Kangemi slums. It specializes in outpatient care, particularly;
- Family planning
- Maternity care
- Antenatal and postnatal care
- Immunization
- TB clinic
- PMTC
- CWC
- HIV care
The clinic, currently staffed by 2 nurses, 1 clinician and 4 Community Health Volunteers (CHV), serves an average of 25 patients daily and 20 maternity cases monthly.
3) Youth Welfare
This is a registered group with the government, which engages in initiatives that enhance cohesiveness especially along ethnic lines. The welfare provides vocational training such as:
- Carpentry and woodwork
- Driving
- Mechanical engineering
- Electrical engineering
- Driving
The welfare is sustained by a car wash, a craft shop, rentals and entertainment revenue (sports). It also has several entertainment avenues including a video game studio, a library, a variety of games (pool table, dart board) and a soccer field. The community, at large, has a Wi-Fi connection.
4) Kito Futures Café
This project Technology to Empower Youth with Education and Employment. The objective is to enable youth to interact with technology in positive and creative ways to create economic opportunities; to be trained, coached and supported to acquire knowledge and skills, create jobs, and get exposure and tools for success in the knowledge economy.
In Kawangware there are very few small computer cafes charging exorbitant prices for their browsing services with very slow internet connectivity. There is no well established computer hub where young people can go and work from or learn critical computer skills. The establishment of the Kito Futures Café will bridge that gap for young people who are vulnerable and lack such opportunities due to poverty. This project will provide the slum youth with critical computer skills that will enhance their employability. It will also be a space where they will learn other skills such as networking, professionalism that would give them an added advantage in job search. In addition, the project will provide a working space for our youth to undertake online jobs that will improve their livelihoods. The Futures Café will also act as an incubator for youth to launch their micro businesses in graphic design, website development. They shall be able to design simple items like business cards, brochures among other for clients.
Activities at the Kito Futures Café include:
- Workshops on entrepreneurship, 21st Century skills, leadership and innovation
- Enterprise incubation services
- Open space for collaboration, work and networking.
- Workshops on Internet literacy and jobs
- Job placement and training in digital jobs
- Workshops/support for on-line learning
- Career development: psychometric tests, maps, plans, mock interviews, CV writing
- Technology career events.
