COUNTRY/PROBLEM
Kenya is a country in East Africa positioned on the Indian Ocean. Although it has achieved economic growth over the last decade, the country still struggles to redress social inequalities. Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya, has a population of more than four million people. There are huge economic disparities among people living in Nairobi. Kibera, one of the slums in Nairobi, is often considered one of the largest city slums in Africa.
Many women and girls living in Kibera cannot afford to buy the sanitary products required to manage their menstruation. This problem is especially difficult for girls who, because of the lack of sanitary pads, skip their school classes. Moreover, the lack of knowledge on reproductive health makes girls more prone to contract HIV or get pregnant at an early age. Sometimes, girls decide to offer sex services to be able to buy the necessary sanitary products.
ORGANISATION
Project Elimu is a local Kenyan organisation that helps children living in the slums of Nairobi by organising educational activities (‘elimu’ in Swahili means ‘education’). The organisation supports the development of artistic skills among its beneficiaries, mainly through teaching ballet, thus fostering the development of personality and creativity in the beneficiaries it supports. Additionally, the organisation helps the children gain school knowledge. The contact with art motivates children to pursue education, which is often the only way to break the closed circle of poverty.
Project Elimu was founded in 2017 by Mike Wamaya, a Kenyan dancer and ballet teacher, who in the same year was one of the top 10 finalists nominated for the Global Teacher Prize.
COOPERATION BETWEEN THE KULCZYK FOUNDATION AND PROJECT ELIMU
The Kulczyk Foundation is the first international organisation that has supported Project Elimu. The cooperation started in 2019 when the Kulczyk Foundation funded educational scholarships for 120 children, supported the development of Project Elimu’s arts education programme, and invested in its infrastructure. Project Elimu’s beneficiaries were also the heroes of one of the episodes of the sixth season of the Domino Effect series. Link to the project.
Since 2019, the Kulczyk Foundation and Project Elimu have been running a joint project called Smile Bank Project, which aims to combat period poverty and the lack of knowledge about reproductive health among girls living in the slums of Nairobi.
The project includes:
- access to the sanitary products necessary to manage menstruation (i.e. sanitary pads, bags for used products, sanitary containers) for one thousand girls aged 11-18;
- lessons on reproductive health that are taught in 13 schools in the slums of Nairobi.
In return for the support, project beneficiaries engage in social activities at school or for the benefit of their local communities, for 3 hours per week, thus learning how to be socially engaged. Parents, teachers, and local leaders are all involved in the project, broadening the girls’ social network.
The Smile Bank Project aims to improve school attendance and self-esteem, as well as to instil social responsibility among young Kenyan girls. The project has a real impact on its beneficiaries and has a positive influence on their health, sense of security, and mental wellness. Thanks to the support they receive they have a chance to develop creativity and problem-solving skills.
During the pandemic, all schools in Nairobi have been closed, including Project Elimu’s office. The organisation has started to distribute sanitary products via kiosks and has begun to provide information on reproductive health via SMS.
