Construction of a dance center in Nairobi begins

Kibera is surrounded by other Nairobi neighborhoods. The average house is less than 15 square meters and constructed of fragile components. Most houses consist of a single room. Entire families live here, sometimes consisting of as many as eight people. This neighborhood has the same medical, service, and educational needs as any other, but life there is abject poverty, with no access to sanitation or running water. It is also highly unsafe.

The only way out of this environment is education – compulsory and free in Kenya, but difficult to access in Kibera. There are few public schools, most of them informal private institutions run by churches and NGOs. And 36% of the population is under 17.

In 2018, Dominika Kulczyk met Mike Wamaya while filming a reportage in Kibera [Domino Effect S06, E03]. He is a dancer and local activist who was nominated for the prestigious Global Teacher Prize. Although his career had gained momentum and he could have continued conquering the world, he decided to return to the slums to create Project Elimu and give children what had freed him. Dance. And with it, the dignity, education, and self-confidence that allowed them to escape a difficult environment. Kulczyk and Wamaya still keep in touch; in 2024, the Project Elimu dancers were guests at the Malta Festival in Poznań , and now the Kulczyk Foundation is beginning construction of an educational and vocational center in Kibera, Kenya.

Stella & Adam Center

Children and young people in Kibera need a place where they can learn and spend time safely. Project Elimu's headquarters receives 500 visitors daily, but the current building does not meet the needs of its residents.

The Stella & Adam Center will be a modern space where children will not only gain knowledge but also develop their passions, learn vocational skills (e.g., tailoring or hairdressing), and dance. It is primarily through ballet that Project Elimu helps children develop self-confidence. Art supports the personal development and creativity of its beneficiaries, which motivates them to learn. And only education can help break the cycle of poverty inherited from generation to generation.

Michael Wamaya – founder of Project Elimu , curator of the Stella & Adam Center

Mike completed eight years of primary school. When his father died, he needed to earn a living, so he took a job at an auto repair shop, where he trained as a mechanic. He proved to be excellent at it and quickly opened his own workshop. He still loves cars to this day, but he's always been drawn to art.

At that time, he saw a poster of the Kenya Performing Arts Group on the street with an invitation to a casting call. Mike proved very talented and was accepted into the group. For dance, he decided to abandon his well-earning workshop and support himself with a small scholarship, but at the same time, he seized the opportunity to immerse himself in the artistic community and maintain regular contact with art. He began traveling to the Netherlands for workshops.

His family wasn't happy with Mike's newfound activity—they associated ballet with homosexuality, which is illegal in Kenya. After three years, he dropped out of the four-year program and, together with friends, founded his own organization, Ghetto Potential Trust to teach dance and develop the potential of children from the slums. After some time, Mike, along with young people at risk of joining criminal gangs, founded a social enterprise specializing in waste collection. The enterprise quickly grew and became a success.

In 2008, Michael was invited to work with the British non-governmental organization Anno's Trust (today Anno's Africa ) to teach ballet to children in Kibera. In 2017, he founded his own organization: Project Elimu . Mike also gives paid ballet lessons at private schools in good neighborhoods, which is his source of income. In 2017, he was one of 10 finalists nominated for the World Teacher Prize. He attended the gala in Dubai. Mike is married to a Dutch woman, also a ballet teacher (at the Kenya Dance Center).