Kawangware Slum 

 

Kawangware is a slum area approximately 15 kilometers West of Nairobi County. Kawangware is one of Africa's biggest growing slums and has over 650,000 residents, approximately 60 percent being children and youth. Since the poverty rate in Kawangware is so high, most residents live on less than 1 USD per day. Many families in the slum cannot afford more than one meal a day, increasing the amount of malnutrition throughout the slum. Generally, this one meal will consist of Ugali (a dish made of cornmeal and water), Chipati (a sort of thin pancake), and maybe beans. Most children in the slum suffer from malnutrition, especially from the lack of protein in their diets.  Meat is very expensive, it is rare that a family in Kawangware will have it more than once a week.  Diseases like Marasmus and Kwashiorkor are easily distinguishable in children in the slum and can be recognized by skinny extremities but a protruding stomach. Clean water is difficult to find in the slum and is therefore very expensive.  The unemployment rate in Kawangware is very high and some parents cannot afford to send their children to school because the school fees for uniforms, books, pencils, etc. are very expensive. The disease rate in Kawangware is quite high due to the poverty, poor hygiene, lack of nutrition, etc.  The rate of HIV/AIDS in the slum is sitting around 30-45 percent of residents currently. They lack the reproductive education on how to protect themselves against such diseases and how to use preventative measures.  Many residents of Kawangware live in tin houses, generally comprised of only one room for the whole family.  This one room serves as the kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom and has no toilets, electricity, heat or water. Overall many families living in Kawangware are facing daily struggles to support their families and fight disease. 

 

How you can help....

 

• Donations

• Non-Perishable Food Items

• Second Hand Clothing

• Medical Equipment

• School textbooks

• School Uniforms

• Shoes

• Blankets

•  Volunteer