Steve Kariithi - Community Care in Kenyan Slums

Think Global, Do Justice

We're heading to Kenya for episode 262 as we connect with Steve Kariithi who is the Kenya Program Director at Hope's Promise. Steve talks with Brandon Stiver about what it looks like to do kinship based family care in Kenyan communities. We cover the effects of changing child welfare policy on families and juxtapose that with actions of the government that adversely affect families living in informal settlements. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to work in a slum, this is a good conversation to jump into.

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Resources and Links from the show

What can we do about injustice? : Blog by Colleen Briggs

The Star Kenya : Families in pain as houses demolished in Mathare

YouTube : Residents of Mathare Lament

YouTube : Over 6,000 households forcefully evicted along Mathare River

Conversation Notes

• Understanding what life is like for families living in slum areas and what causes slums to form on the margins of urban areas
• Bridging impact expectations of western donors when working in severely impoverished areas
• Meaningful interventions that support children to grow up in families
• The effects of 2022 legislation in Kenya that promoted child care reform and changes for organizations serving children
• The Kenyan government is destroying homes and displacing families in the Mathare informal settlement of Nairobi

Theme music Kirk Osamayo. Free Music Archive, CC BY License