Current Situations

Kisumu Kenya Project:

Background

Kisumu has been declared a millennium town by the United Nations. As such, the town will be closely monitored for the achievement of millennium goals. It will be a UN’s reform model city and the lessons learned and the achievements will be replicated in other towns in Africa. As a Millennium city Kisumu is expected to attain the mid term development goals. To achieve that, the city must eradicate poverty and extreme hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empowerment, reduce child mortality, and improve maternal health, combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases by 2015. Today the town is faced with a myriad of problems, namely, poor infrastructure, unemployment, HIV/Aids, insufficient transport structures, poor planning, indiscriminate disposal of waste, all which leads to environmental degradation. With growth rate of a paltry 2.8% annually, major industries have folded in the last 15 years.

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A Grandmother taking care of AIDS orphans after the death of her son and his wife

AIDS

There is an estimated 40 million people infected with HIV in the world and by far the largest population is in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2003 there were an estimated 26 million HIV positive people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Kisumu has been impacted the most. Approximately 22-25% of the population is HIV positive. With an annual per capita of around $300, the anti–retroviral medications are out of reach for the majority, and many of the Kisumu HIV/Aids sufferers have a meager chance of surviving. About 33, 589 people are under home based care for HIV/Aids. Poverty and HIV prevalence in beaches along Lake Victoria stands at 50%.

Poverty

Kisumu experiences one of the highest incidents of food poverty in the country with 53.4% of the 500,000 sleeping hungry. Most of the food consumed in Kisumu is imported from neighboring districts though the town has the potential for small scale food production. About 48% of the urban population lives within the absolute poverty bracket. (The national average is 29 %.)

Of the working population, 52% are engaged in the informal activities with a monthly wage income in the range of $42 (Kshs3, 000) to $57 (Kshs 4000). About 10, 000 people are employed as pedal cyclists (bicycle taxis) popularly known as boda causing a massive influx of bicycles in town. The town hall is characterized by poor governance, weak administration, nepotism and is heavily indebted with insufficient financial resources. Workers salary arrears run up to six months in a calendar year. The council is reeling under huge debts in excess of 1 billion and is technically insolvent.

The lives of these children can be transformed when people care.

Universal Primary School Education

Although Kenya Government introduced free primary education, educational standards and performance have deteriorated significantly in Kisumu district.

Improve Maternal Health

Maternal health care continues to be one of the greatest challenges facing the district.

Women Empowerment Gender Equality

Cultural and social norms continue to hinder the empowerment of women and also contribute to the increased HIV/AIDS infection. Polygamy and wife inheritance are still being practiced, particularly among the poorer section of the population. On the positive note, Kisumu women have been politically active since Kenya’s independence. Kisumu was the first town in Kenya that was headed by a woman mayor. In addition, other strong women politicians from the area continue to take an active part in shaping the Kenyan future.

Environment

Conservation of Lake Victoria. Fresh Water Lake has been defiled by polluters and sewer. It is a major cause of waterborne diseases. 60% of the residents do not have access to clean drinking water and rely on shallow wells, rivers/lakes and rainwater.

Hunger affects 840 million worldwide and 200 million in Africa

Mushroom Farming in Kiambu:

(A Pilot Project)

ICAP is partnering with Kibichoi farmers association, a community based organization with about a hundred farmers to implement the mushroom farming project
The project is tailored to improve the social economic standards of the people of Kiambu in line with MDGs. ICAP will share the technical know how to the peasant farmers. ICAP staff have received training in mushroom farming.

Mushroom farming will provide an alternative to mainstream agriculture.

The farmers are expected to make profits from the project after assistance with the inital start up funds . They are eight harvests in a year.

Kibera, Nairobi Slum Project:
(Transforming Life in the Slums)

Kibera is the largest slum in Africa with a population of about a million.

Kibera is located southwest of Nairobi City center and is the same size as Manhattan Central Park 2.5 square kilometers or 630 acres. It is about 5 kilometers to the Nairobi Center City. It holds more than a quarter of Nairobi's population.

Since the 1970's landlords have rented out their property to a significantly greater number of tenants then legality demands. Since the tenants, who are extremely poor, are unable to obtain or rent land that is legal, the slum dwellers find the rent offered to be comparatively affordable.

The number of residents in Kibera has increased accordingly despite its unauthorized nature. The residents are multi –ethnic in terms of demography. Many coming from the rural areas due to lack of opportunities.

Kibera is not only densely populated but is also heavily polluted by soot, dust. And other wastes. Open sewage routes, in addition to the common use of flying toilets, also contribute to contamination of the slum with human and animal feces. The combination of poor nutrition and lack of sanitation accounts for many illness. Not only is death by disease , conflicts and violence common inside this slum but it is estimated 1/5 of the 2.2 million Kenyans infected with AIDS live here. Crime is also extremely high.

WATER FOR KIBERA PROJECT:

Increasing access to safe drinking water and sanitation through resource Mobilization:

Diseases related to lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene practices cause 80 percent of the illnesses. Clean acccessible and affordable water is necessary for survival. Access to adequate drinking water and sanitation serves as a catalyst for better public health, education, poverty reduction and women empowerment.

By assisting in making safe drinking water and adequate sanitation a priority in Kibera slums, ICAP will demonstrate its commitment in helping meet Millennium Development Goals and half poverty by 2015.

Safe water and sanitation is linked and fundamental to the attainment of each millennium goal

The projects will involve building water and sanitation projects with community participation and ownership.

There is a great impact on people’s lives when this basic need is met. Diseases and illnesses are reduced. Children, whose health is substantially improved, can attend school gain and gain the education needed to escape the constraints of poverty. Women and girls freed of the daily chore of fetching water for five hours daily can utilize the time more productively in making and marketing products, deriving income for the family and community.

COMBATING AIDS

Working with the youth to combat AIDS through education and awareness programs and mobilization of resources including access to affordable anti–viral drugs.