Our work: Who we help
Mathare Valley is five kilometres from the centre of Nairobi and home to over 300,000 people (UN Habitat). Kiambiu, smaller and home to 50,000 people, is a strip of unclaimed land between the Kenya Air Force base and the Nairobi River. These are two of the many informal settlements in Nairobi which are home to over 50% of the city’s 4 million plus population.
The majority of the inhabitants in both areas are thought to be under 30 years old. HIV prevalence in adults is estimated at between 6% and 21% (Govt. Kenya 2018) and as many as 57% of the child population are believed to experience malnutrition at some point in their childhood (UNICEF 2012). Unemployment is estimated to be around 80%; even those in work have very poor job security.
The informal settlements consist of roughly constructed mud, tin or wooden one-roomed huts with no electricity and no sewage system. Access to water is usually from a single shared tap, typically serving 100 dwellings. The average population per hut is eight persons.
Although Kenya has implemented free primary education since 2003, many school-aged children remain out of school or drop out too early, especially in the informal settlements where fewer public primary schools are available. Although education is ‘free’ the cost of uniforms, textbooks, examinations and remedial class fees keep primary education out of reach of many families.
Access to medical care is also a great challenge. Most public health centres and hospitals are overcrowded and apply ‘informal fees’. Drugs are expensive and unaffordable to the poorest families. There are only three official clinics serving the estimated 150,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in these settlements; two are run by international organisations, and one by the Kenyan government. Only two of these clinics can be accessed by non-HIV-positive people for general treatment. A feeding programme provides daily meal and nutritional supplements to some of the eligible population. These services are free but do not cover more serious conditions or hospital admissions.
+300k
people call the informal settlements in the Mathare Valley their home
+70%
of the families Tushinde work with are affected by HIV/AIDS
57%
of the child population are believed to experience malnutrition
100
people typically share one single tap to access water
We work with local clinics and schools to to provide comprehensive support.
When we take a child on to our books, the life of that child is in turmoil. He or she might be mourning the death of a parent and living with extended family or perhaps the whole family has been evicted and have nowhere to sleep that night.
These children have multiple problems. It won’t just be HIV in the family; over 70% of the families we work with are affected by HIV/AIDS, and there will be other issues such as malnutrition, mental health problems and dangerous levels of debt. Very often the caregiver is an aunt, grandmother or even a neighbour who has taken in children who have lost both their parents. 18% of the children we work with are double orphans and 70% live in a single-headed household.
We help these families during their crisis and then we work with them to create a long safe, nurturing and stable environment for the children.
