The Mathare Women’s Empowerment Project

We believe empowered women are the key to creating thriving communities. Watch below to see how Nafasi is helping transform Mathare through vocational training.

Setting.

Nafasi works within Mathare, one of the largest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. The issues associated with slums are well known: unstable housing that lacks access to basic services, extreme rates of unemployment that drive crime, early school drop out, and significant gender inequality resulting in early teen pregnancies, gender-based violence, and abuse.

What’s not talked about is that areas like Mathare host a thriving and vibrant community full of driven and resilient people looking to further themselves, their families, and their communities. However, the lack of resources means a lack of opportunity and opportunity is what Nafasi is dedicated to help provide.

"Foreign aid" has historically not been impactful within slums because of its lack of integration into the existing society. Slums are complex communities that are only intimately understood by those living within them. Nafasi has spent time understanding the intricacies of Mathare and we know that true change can only be enacted by leaders within their own community.

Our Partners - BECI.

Build and Enlighten Communities Initiative (BECI) is a women-led organization dedicated to empowering women and youth in Mathare through skills-building workshops to strive for equitable gender income.

These extraordinary women are incredibly accomplished and true pillars in their community. They have founded and ran UN affiliated women empowerment programs, worked as Research Assistants for Oxford research projects, hold leadership roles on various Environmental and Child Rights’ councils, and each have started and ran their own successful businesses in hairstyling, sustainable farming, and reusable biofuels.

The Economy.

Mathare has a unique economy based on informal businesses that operate out of homes, on the street, or door to door. It is rare for people to get formal post-secondary training, rather they are self-taught or rely on networks to develop skills. BECI has designed an 8 month vocational program for 160 women centered on the most sought after skills based off their community research.