The proposed project is a training workshop aimed at equiping participants with skills to set up an interactive blog to enable them articulate their issues. After the training the participants will be assisted to set up an actual blog which will be a platform for sharing and the basis for taking action that address their circumstances. They will maintain the blog updating it on a daily basis, publicizing it and using it to call for action.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Nairobi
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
This project will target 1000 women who are residents of Mukuru slums in Nairobi Kenya. While slum residents are not catered for in the formal city planning arrangements, the women bear the greatest brunt of marginalization. For example, they are most adversely affected by the lack of proper sanitation and lack of access to water. Exposure to filthy conditions often result in infections and disease for their children and families.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
The participants will set up a blog. This forum will be used to highlight the deplorable sanitation situation with special emphasis on its harmful effects on women and children and the city at large. It will awaken city planners to the reality of the vast majority of the city's population. It is estimated that 66% in Nairobi's city population lives in slums. This forum is therefore expected to influence city planning and development.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
We are presently working with the University of Nairobi to map and replan the Mukuru slums and present those proposals to the city planners. We are also in partnerships with (CREAW) Center for Rights Education and Awareness at the same time we are closely working with national print and electronic media houses to highlight the state of living conditions in slums.
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
We will train 1000 women drawn from the slums of Mukuru. These women are already participating in our wider Kenya Jubilee Slum Campaign for improved sanitation. They are organized into groups that participate in mobilizing savings for the welfare of their families in addition to their advocacy activities. Recruitment of participants into such savings schemes is ongoing.
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
We will be grateful if Rising Voices could provide computers, furniture and accessories to enable us set up a functional internet centre, ongoing technical assistance to back stop the initiative.
Contact name
Jane Weru
Organization
Akiba Mashinani Trust (AMT)