Explore the centers
We have identified organizations that are interested in scaling up the impact they have on the lives of the people living in low-income areas. It is clear that these entrepreneurs are committed to benefit from your expertise. This year we gave those who wanted this opportunity enough time to apply for the program. Once the application window was closed, the members who had applied for the program were interviewed and the program begun
Wanawake Kwa Wanawake
About Wanawake Kwa Wanawake Center
Imagine a place where finding water – any water – was the most vital task, each and every day. Welcome to Kibera, East Africa’s largest slum. A place where crime, drugs, prostitution, and violence are pretty much the only career choices for the children who grow up here.
suggested project & deliverables
Women For Women In Africa believes the best way to relieve poverty is through education. As such, the organization works in East Africa’s largest slum and one of the largest in the world, by providing education and resources to enable children to live a life of dignity, happiness, and hope for the future. The organization has a bustling multi-level building with rooms that house Chappell Informal School; rooms for dealing with health care issues; rooms for workshops and meetings; rooms for our women’s group to do their sewing and craft activities; and rooms to give our people the room to showcase and sell the products they make and an ICT center for youth. The organization primarily works with orphan and vulnerable children from the slum who are in need of school fees, youth, and women from the slum who are empowered with ICT, business, and entrepreneurial skills
Ruben Center
About Ruben Center
As the only Community Centre, and “one-stop-shop” in Kwa Ruben, our diversity of projects enables choice and change for people who are caught in the “poverty penalty”, and, whose vulnerability is more pronounced because of the lack of government/donor-funded investment in this particular slum. In fact, over the past two years, the slums of Mukuru have been highlighted in a number of international studies, and these indicated the negative impacts experienced by this community, because of the minimal attention or support received from the Kenya National and County Governments.
suggested projects & Deliverable
Due to the diversity of the centre and the programs, the organization has many target groups across the Kwa Ruben Slum. These include school going children, children with disabilities, youth and teenage mothers.
Relinked Group
About Relinked Group
Generally in Kenya, the rate of youth unemployment is high and this is especially worse for the youth in slums. This is because of these youth lack access to equitable services such as education and opportunities such as jobs as compared to their counterparts. Relinked Group is a growing network of young people who are using their gifts, skills, and expertise to create compelling opportunities that contribute to sustainable development.
suggested project & deliverable
The Relinked Group currently works with young people from low income areas, particularly the Eastland’s areas of Nairobi, including the Mathare slums. Specifically, the group deals with youth from high school, TVETs and universities to offer them a transition period before they can start accessing jobs. The organization engages its members through social events, training, offering networking opportunities, peer to peer learning and monthly meetings. Further, they offer financial support through loans as low interest rates for members to start businesses. Relinked is looking to develop a resource hub for the Mathare slum that shall include a library, computer centre, co-working space, innovation centres etc.
NairoBits Trust
About NairoBits Trust
Unemployment is a major challenge affecting youth across Kenya. With approximately 800,000 + young Kenyans joining the labor market every year, its economy cannot provide the necessary number of job opportunities in both the formal and informal sectors to absorb these numbers. The challenge of youth unemployment is compounded by the fact that 90% of all unemployed young people lack vocational skills. Addressing youth unemployment therefore calls for innovation, investment, and commitment among all stakeholders. NairoBits exists to promote creative and innovative use of ICT that positively transforms and empowers the youth for an enhanced quality of life, envisioning a workforce with adequate access to equal opportunities and a positive impact in the society.
suggested project & deliverable
The program targets young, energetic, innovative, and creative individuals, to provide them with skills-based training, working spaces, and a platform to interact and network with their peers and share ideas. The program was developed from the recognition of available potential, ideas, creativity, and underlying talent among our graduates as evidenced by innovative project ideas developed in the course of their learning process. NairoBits is looking to start up a new program; BitsHub. This is an envisioned incubation and acceleration program structured to support business-minded students to design and create solutions that will benefit them and their communities. The incubation and acceleration will be done co-jointly with the organization’s beneficiaries by offering consulting services to the startups including business research, strategic advice and guidance, fundraising training, business training programs, and access to relevant business events. The BitsHub is envisioned as the tool that would support innovation where NairoBits would provide solutions for different markets and clients by working with its beneficiaries. This would ensure that NairoBits is at per with market trends, providing solutions to social challenges, generating an income, and providing employment for its students..