Kenya: amid political instability and post-flood chaos, socio-educational projects continue

The last few months in Kenya have been quite difficult. Between the consequences of a severe flood that hit the country in spring and a volatile political situation, Kenya is facing a moment of great instability.

From floods to post-flood interventions

At the end of April 2024, the country was hit by torrential rains that caused the worst floodsin decades, with a toll of over 250 deaths and tens of thousands of displaced people. The central and western areas of the country were the most affected as was the capital Nairobi, where large slums such as Mathare are located, areas particularly sensitive to this type of disaster.

The floods caused widespread damage to crucial infrastructure, including homes, roads, schools, bridges, and dams, causing huge disruptions, and complicating relief operations. Millions of people remained for weeks without access to necessities such as food, water, and shelter. In many areas, drinking water has been contaminated due to damaged sewage systems, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera and vector-borne diseases such malaria which is transmitted by mosquitos. 

Even Mathare, the Nairobi slum where two social projects of the Valter Baldaccini Foundation are active, was not spared. Water, mud, and debris submerged everything, forcing thousands of people to abandon their precarious homes. Essential infrastructure and homes, already particularly precarious, were severely damaged or swept away.

In Mathare, when the water receded, the Government invited the population to move to safer areas and decided to destroy, and prohibit the reconstruction, of all the homes that stood close to the watercourse. This meant that many families were left with nothing.

Political instability and popular protests in Kenya

A few weeks after the terrible flood, at the end of June 2024, violent demonstrations began in Kenya against the tax increase proposed by the Government, led by President William Ruto.

Even though the controversial budget law was withdrawn, and the President fired all the Ministers, except for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the protests have not stopped. Today the demonstrators are calling for the resignation of the President and are confronting the corruption, which is widespread in the country. Over two hundred people have been arrested and, with a death toll of 39, there is news of an imminent protest ban in some areas of Nairobi on 18 July 2024.

The consequences of the situation in Kenya on our social projects

Two of the Foundation's social projects are active in Nairobi, in the Mathare slum. With over 500,000 inhabitants, this slum is one of the largest in Kenya. The slum arose due to wild urbanization and poverty and it hosts people who arrived in the city without adequate housing and have settled in unregulated areas, giving rise to precarious, overcrowded settlements without essential services.

The situation is already dramatic, with many minors living on the streets and families in conditions of extreme poverty. In this difficult context, thanks to our local contact Joab Omoto, we are trying to carry forward the distance support project in Kenya and the job placement project dedicated to a group of single mothers, with the aim of giving a glimmer of hope and a better future to these vulnerable people.

During the days of the flood, we were on constant alert, and it took several weeks to reconnect with all the mothers of the project and the students we follow remotely. Fortunately, they are all well.

The dangerous protests have instead delayed the start of the new year of the project dedicated to underage mothers. When there are these clashes, leaving home means putting your life in danger, but the project has finally restarted with a new group of mothers, ready to learn a job, receive support and have a real opportunity for redemption.

If you also want to give hope to those who need it most, donate now! Thanks to you, many Kenyan women, boys, and girls will have the opportunity to build a better future.