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Mathare Valley Area Program

Sponsor a child

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2022 - 2034

Location

Kenya

Areas of Focus

Child Protection and Participation

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

65people participated in activities aimed at supporting child protection and ending violence against children

Progress

41faith leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations were engaged in addressing the root causes of child vulnerability

Progress

32local partners, including community and faith-based organizations, were engaged in our programs to support stronger communities

A white jeep driving through a muddy path, featuring a rainbow and trees in the background.

Program Details

Context

Mathare Valley is a densely populated sub-county in the capital, Nairobi, which is in the south-central part of the country. Numbering about 206,000, the majority of residents are under 30 years of age and live in informal, multi-ethnic settlements. The population has been growing steadily since 2000 due to rural migration. This has significantly increased economic and environmental pressures.

Because the settlement is built on a former quarry, many people live along steep slopes in small, congested shanties made of tin and mud. Electricity is illegally connected, which presents a fire hazard. Public toilets exist, but residents are charged a fee for use, which leads to people using ditches and a nearby river instead.

The area is experiencing high levels of crime, child labour, drug abuse and gender-based violence. The impact of COVID-19 has deepened the severity of these issues.

Despite these challenges, Mathare Valley is not without assets. For example, there are over two dozen community-based organizations working on a variety of issues, from education to child protection. A third of residents report being members of these organizations—a sign the community is invested in finding ways to foster development.

...
Challenges
Mathare Valley faces numerous challenges, but the community has identified the three most urgent: education, livelihood and child protection. All are inter-related. School drop-out rates are high and infrastructure is lacking. But drop-out rates are high partly because of factors such as child neglect, early pregnancy and poverty that make it difficult to provide enough food for kids to eat. Unemployment is high, leading to increased youth crime, and drug and alcohol abuse among other ills.

Education
Twenty-five schools of various kinds (but only one secondary school and two public primary schools) serve a population of 70,000 school-aged children. As a result the pupil to teacher ratio is too high. In addition, school facilities are poor and teachers lack adequate training. This translates into drop-out rates of 15%. For other students, poverty prevents them from being able to pay school fees or having enough food to eat, which further dissuades attendance.

Livelihood
The local economy is cash-based with people commuting to wealthier neighbourhoods for work. Unemployment is over 14%, with 70% of the youth population considered idle. For income, many of these youth turn to garbage collection, selling drugs and prostitution. The few residents who have capital primarily run small businesses selling food on the street. Most of this work is done by women. There is some urban agriculture but not enough surplus to overcome food insecurity, and there is no infrastructure for export-based agriculture.

Child Protection
Neglect, child labour, prostitution, drug and alcohol abuse, and sexual and gender-based violence all play a role in harming Mathare Valley's children. These problems, including teen pregnancies, have also increased in the wake of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Thousands of children under age 14 are either living with HIV or have become orphans because of it. Children also report feeling unloved by their parents, whom they describe as absent, quarrelsome and unable to provide for their needs....
Plans
Education
To help children develop the skills for future economic self-empowerment, World Vision will:
  • Deploy technical programs designed to boost literacy for children ages 0-6 through advocacy and partnerships with stakeholders.
  • Work with government organizations to promote sensitization to the importance of school enrolment.
  • Collaborate with external partners to provide school fees for uniforms and food.

Livelihood
To help the community improve economic self-sufficiency, World Vision will:
  • Engage in networking, advocacy and community partnerships to create opportunities for economic development.
  • Undertake joint projects with the national government for activities such as constructing boreholes for water and creating short-term job opportunities for youth.
  • Along with the local government, jointly fund the building of more housing for the poor and the construction and equipping of youth centres.

Child Protection
To help ensure children are protected, World Vision will:
  • Support advocacy networks working on policy change related to child protection and service delivery.
  • Use tools such as smart phones, children's clubs and the arts to empower children to actively participate in issues affecting their safety.
  • Join with external partners to lobby government for the implementation of child protection acts.
  • Engage in direct child protection interventions with a focus on gender-based violence.
  • Enhance the capacity of children and the community to report cases of abuse as well as build protective assets for children.
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An image of children sitting on the ground in a classroom, writing in workbooks.

Results

Unless otherwise stated, data presented on this page reflects the most up-to-date results of World Vision Canada programs reported between October 2023 and September 2024, and any previous fiscal years available. Previously reported data may not match the current presentation as we continuously receive and refine data from our programs. If you have any questions, kindly reach out to us.