Slum Child Foundation in Nairobi – for children rights
By
Denise Nanni and Milena Rampoldi, ProMosaik. In the following our interviw with
the Slum Child Foundation in Nairobi, engaging for children rights. Would like
to thank George Ochieng for his time.
Denise Nanni and Milena Rampoldi, ProMosaik. In the following our interviw with
the Slum Child Foundation in Nairobi, engaging for children rights. Would like
to thank George Ochieng for his time.
What
are the main issues for children living in slums and in what
areas do you concentrate your activities?
Slum Child foundation is a registered NGO working with children, youth
and women in the slums within and outside Nairobi you can learn more
here www.slumchildfoundation.net
Challenges facing slum children which we are working on too
a. Drug and substance abuse among children and their families
b. Poor health
c. Inadequate education for all
d. School Drop out
e. Poverty
f. Gender based violence
g. Teenage marriage and pregnancies
What is the current situation about school attendance in the slums
where you operate?
The situation is not that good since many parents are not able to
provide the needed resources to keep them in school for the free
primary education in public government schools, the rich take their
children to private schools, and since in the slums they are poor,
they are forced to get low quality education.
A lot of people are hopeless and they have transferred this to their
children so as much as they are going to school they keep on asking
themselves that as much as I go to school what will I get out of it,
those who have gone are still living in the slums, our organization is
playing a key role to ensure we make them understand the importance of
education in their future life, especially me who was born and brought
up n Korogocho slum and the achievement that I have made, in short am
acting like a role model.
What are the factors that brought substance abuse to be one main
issue among children in slums?
Family break up, Hopelessness in life, the level and the kind of
poverty these children are in, Coping what parents are doing, others
say that they are stressed because of the poverty situation that they
are in, peer influence and pressure.
In what ways do you address prevention and rehabilitation?
are the main issues for children living in slums and in what
areas do you concentrate your activities?
Slum Child foundation is a registered NGO working with children, youth
and women in the slums within and outside Nairobi you can learn more
here www.slumchildfoundation.net
Challenges facing slum children which we are working on too
a. Drug and substance abuse among children and their families
b. Poor health
c. Inadequate education for all
d. School Drop out
e. Poverty
f. Gender based violence
g. Teenage marriage and pregnancies
What is the current situation about school attendance in the slums
where you operate?
The situation is not that good since many parents are not able to
provide the needed resources to keep them in school for the free
primary education in public government schools, the rich take their
children to private schools, and since in the slums they are poor,
they are forced to get low quality education.
A lot of people are hopeless and they have transferred this to their
children so as much as they are going to school they keep on asking
themselves that as much as I go to school what will I get out of it,
those who have gone are still living in the slums, our organization is
playing a key role to ensure we make them understand the importance of
education in their future life, especially me who was born and brought
up n Korogocho slum and the achievement that I have made, in short am
acting like a role model.
What are the factors that brought substance abuse to be one main
issue among children in slums?
Family break up, Hopelessness in life, the level and the kind of
poverty these children are in, Coping what parents are doing, others
say that they are stressed because of the poverty situation that they
are in, peer influence and pressure.
In what ways do you address prevention and rehabilitation?
We
do a lot of school outreach program within the schools in and
outside the slums where we address the challenge of prevention and
offer counseling.
On the counseling bit we do it in schools and out of the schools,
actually today when I reported to the office I was able to handle more
than ten cases of children who have messed up with their lives during
the last festive holiday and their parents knew I was the only source
of hope to them.
After the counseling session there are those we refer for
rehabilitation to the nearby rehabilitation centers around and if we
are able to offer support we do, but since it is expensive we only do
a few, a 3 months rehabilitation cost around USD
4,000 residential.
Do you cooperate with local authorities and institutions? If yes, how?
We do cooperate with local authorities; we work with Ministry in
charge of children affairs at both the grass root and sub county
level.
We work with Ministry of education for our entire school outreach
program and if there is something we cannot do we ask the ministry to
it.
We also work with NACADA the coordinating agency in charge of
substance abuse in the country and the most recent one was being
invited as a key note speaker during International day against drug
and substance abuse.
do a lot of school outreach program within the schools in and
outside the slums where we address the challenge of prevention and
offer counseling.
On the counseling bit we do it in schools and out of the schools,
actually today when I reported to the office I was able to handle more
than ten cases of children who have messed up with their lives during
the last festive holiday and their parents knew I was the only source
of hope to them.
After the counseling session there are those we refer for
rehabilitation to the nearby rehabilitation centers around and if we
are able to offer support we do, but since it is expensive we only do
a few, a 3 months rehabilitation cost around USD
4,000 residential.
Do you cooperate with local authorities and institutions? If yes, how?
We do cooperate with local authorities; we work with Ministry in
charge of children affairs at both the grass root and sub county
level.
We work with Ministry of education for our entire school outreach
program and if there is something we cannot do we ask the ministry to
it.
We also work with NACADA the coordinating agency in charge of
substance abuse in the country and the most recent one was being
invited as a key note speaker during International day against drug
and substance abuse.
