Mapping with Simon in Mathare
Since arriving in Kenya two weeks ago, I have been looking forward to spending more time getting to know Sisi Ni Amani’s Nairobi team. This week I met up with Coordinators Simon and Shiku in their home communities of Mathare and Huruma. Having grown up in these neighborhoods, they both have strong ties to many of the residents and organizations in the communities. As adults, they have found many small but significant ways to effect social and economic change and to better the lives of family and neighbors.
In a youth community center in Mathare, I met Simon and other Mathare residents as they planned a process to map key features of their community. Simon and others have been working with Spatial Collective, “a social enterprise that develops innovative tools to support collective action…Through data collection and visualization, we support companies, organizations and communities to understand available resources, current and future needs, trends and solutions.” As soon as Simon told me about his involvement with this kind of work, I knew I wanted to learn more. This is just one of the many connections between GPS mapping applications and Sisi ni Amani’s use of SMS messaging that I’ve seen since coming to Kenya.
I followed Simon and his group as they used GPS mapping technology to better understand the realities on the ground in Mathare. Simon carried along a GPS device as his colleagues took notes and snapped photos. On this trip they mapped a community garden, a public toilet, open sewage streams, and garbage dumping grounds.
For me, it’s very cool to see how Simon and other Sisi Ni Amani staff are making connections and forming partnerships with a variety of other grassroots groups that are using mobile technology to collect and share data, better understand community needs, and then use this knowledge to identify solutions. As they demonstrated how they’re using relatively inexpensive mobile technology for social good, I felt a wave of gratitude to the many techies and social entrepreneurs committed to using technology for social good and to empower people living in the poorest parts of the world.
Generations, Gardens, and Peace in Huruma
After leaving Simon in Mathare, I met up with Shiku in Huruma. She wanted me to meet several generations of her family and to see where she and her mother sell goods in a small alleyway shop. We arrived to see her mother holding Shiku’s grandson in her lap and chatting with Shiku’s aunt. They all sat together inside a tiny storefront with miscellaneous food, candy and other times for sale. They talked among themselves and with passersby. Shiku’s mother shared stories with me of some of their family members, including Shiku’s cousin, who were killed during the 2007-2008 post-election violence.
During this visit, I was reminded again of the expertise with which Shiku and other Kenyans creatively stretch very limited resources to improve their lives. She brought me to a garden where her family and neighbors have small plots to grow sukuma (which tastes a lot like collards), spinach, and other veggies. For Shiku and her community, the garden represents sustenance, nourishment, and economic empowerment. Shiku took a seat inside on a bench. “This is where I take a break when I’m tired, when I need a breeze,” she said, smiling. “It’s a good place.” I felt transported to a quiet, green peaceful setting – the busy people in the streets, smells of trash and sewage, and urban sounds fading away. Seeing her brother and a friend sitting in a quiet spot surrounded by small trees, Shiku asked her brother what he thought of when he heard the word ‘peace’. “Peace is something very special,” he said. “I developed this garden to bring togetherness in the community and the family.”
A Final Debate in Huruma: Women Representative Aspirants
On Wednesday, we returned to Huruma. Here Sisi ni Amani, Inuka Kenya Trust, and their debate partners held their final debate of the year under a large tent in a school courtyard. This was a Woman’s Rep Debate that included two aspirants running for local office in Nairobi. With hopes of creating a more inclusive political culture, the new Kenyan Constitution has created special seats in elective bodies for women and other marginalized groups. Kenyan women now have an opportunity to vie for Women Representative seats and bring more women’s voices to policy discussions and decision-making. Almost one hundred people came to hear the debate participants, Khadija Murugi and Wanjiku Mwangi, share their views about the special role women will play this coming election cycle.
Hearing community members ask the candidates how they, if elected, would address such issues as youth unemployment and violence, women’s health issues, HIV-care and prevention, women’s economic empowerment, and social and economic security/insecurity was inspiring. Of course, some in the audience questioned if women candidates would be able to confront and challenge the established, male-centric status quo of Kenyan politics. The new Kenyan Constitution has already created the momentum for women to bring their voices and wisdom to policy-making decisions and fiscal planning, however, and that powerful force continues to grow.
This final debate of the year will be followed by community screenings of past debates. Tomorrow I’ll be shooting a meeting with the Nairobi Coordinators and Debate Screening volunteers as they plan upcoming events and more civic education work.