This is a photo story – my words cannot do it justice.

Welcome to Kibera,- here’s the Google Earth image of Africa’s second largest slum (after Soweto). It is a massive sprawling mess of shacks snaking through the heart of Nairobi hugging a golf course (!) on it’s way. Kibera is home for over 1 million people living in unimaginable conditions – a place that most of us steer clear of for fear of our personal safety. Because of this it has gone ignored, and the people and their plight has gone ignored for decades. Kibera was the scene of some of Kenya’s most serious post election violence.

There are few services for residents of Kibera, which is home to most of Nairobi’s domestic and unskilled labour. Space is limited

…a few people practice a unique form of subsistence farming in vertical farms – using bags

Kibera has no waste water or sewage system so open sewers flow alongside houses exposing the residents to unimaginable smells, sights and of course health risks

….and so it is the dumping ground for garbage.

….and few who live here notice that it’s ugly, they have never questioned their living conditions … until now. This  is the story of an inspired group of youth who are reformed criminals

The Youth Reform Self Help Group comprises about 30 young men and women who are reformed criminals. A friend of ours began working with them after the election crisis when their lives were shattered. She invited my sister who owns Green Dreams Ltd, an organic farming company to provide technical help to this group.  I wrote about the farm when we first visited a couple of months ago purely out of curiosity. I did not in my wildest dreams imagine how successful this little project would be

First garbage was cleared and covered with shade net, and planted to stabilize it with pumpkins

After soil testing to ensure it was safe, the youth ploughed and prepared the soil, and then were introduced to drip irrigation as a cost effective water conservation mechanism for farming in this tiny 80 x 30 m plot that will serve 30 families.

Youth who had only known the rule of guns, and mugging … were taught the basics of plumbing and established the systems themselves

Drip lines were laid out and seeds planted – that’s a modified planter being used which basically saves the farmers backs!

Traditional leafy vegetables like Kunde are planted alongside the better known species like spinach to protect local diets and diversity of crops.

The transformation of the former waste dump to lush farm is almost impossible to believe  isn’t it?  The farm uses no pesticides and no conventional fertilizers, they are separating and composting their own organic wastes to produce the nutrients – so this food is 100% organic!

Six weeks later the spinach was nearly ready for harvest

and on 28th of July they started harvesting enough for 30 families, and are selling the excess crop which will pay for the irrigation water and next round of seeds. It took 90 days from seed to harvest for spinach here and farming can continue year round due to the irrigation.

Yesterday while introducing this group to vermiculture (farming earthworms for delicius organic liquid fertilizer) my sister was asked to introduce yet another community to these methods, she said “no” and insisted that the the Kibera Youth Group do the extension work for other groups in and around Nairobi. This is extra cash for them.

I am always amazed with how much can be done with so little in Africa, and it gives me such pride to see a community embrace the project so wholeheartedly. Doesn’t it make you want to dream big for places that look hopeless? like Eastern Congo, IDP camps, the charcoal situation …..it certainly makes me feel very hopeful. Perhaps organic farming on small plots like this is the answer to food security problems in so many parts of Africa.

Proud and protective

This project though small is so exciting that everyone seems to want in and brag that they are a part of it. Did you notice what is written in the last line of this sign board? It turns out that other recipients of donor aid are taking their donors on tours of this project pretending that this is the achievement of their contributions. Imagine the outrage almost led to fisticuffs last week! Read more about the farm here.

One of the reasons for posting about this is to explore your thoughts on whether WildilfeDirect should begin looking at starting some blogs on similar projects that are wildlife friendly  – like organic farming around protected areas, water security through rainwater harvesting, and energy security like alternative fuel initiatives like our ending charcoal project.

What do you think, it’s a little less direct than paying ranger salaries but it has huge and direct impacts on the communities whose lives depend on conservation areas.

I’d love to hear your thoughts.