kibera
Kibera is East Africa’s largest slum. Located on the outskirts
of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, Kibera is approximately the
size of New York City’s Central Park and is home to nearly
one million people, more than one quarter of Nairobi’s total
population. Although Kibera is one of the most densely populated
areas in the world, it does not appear on most Kenyan maps.
Fifty-eight percent of Kenya’s citizens earn less than $2
a day.1 As a result, Kenya’s
population of 33 million is rapidly urbanizing in search of employment,
and the promise of a “better life” that is perceived
to accompany urban areas. In 1975, 13% of Kenya’s population
lived in urban areas. By 2002, this number had increased to 39%.
By 2015, the United Nations Development Programme estimates that
52% of Kenya’s population will live in urban areas, such as
Nairobi.1 As these cities
stretch to their limits, more people are pushed to settle in growing
slums like Kibera. At least half of Nairobi citizens already live
in slums, which are characterized by a lack of basic services, substandard
housing or illegal and inadequate structures, overcrowding, unhealthy
and hazardous living conditions, insecurity of tenure or property
rights, poverty and social exclusion.
Kibera is cramped, filthy, and often dangerous. Basic services such
as water, electricity, education, health care and sanitation are
minimal or non-existent. For example, the pit latrines, which are
rarely cleaned, are often shared by hundreds of people. Typical homes
in Kibera are 9’ x 9’, with an average of five people
living inside. Water-born diseases such as cholera and typhoid thrive
due to the poor sanitation and overcrowding. Estimates of HIV/AIDS
prevalence in Kibera range from 10-25%.
Domestic violence, rape and physical assaults are a common part
of life for women in Kibera. Women are often treated as property
and given little or no opportunity to make decisions about their
lives or bodies. For more information about Kibera, please visit
the CFK
website.
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