Deep Sea, Nairobi:
The forgotten slum
12,000 people crowd into the unsafe and unsanitary settlement. Yet the families in Deep Sea are overlooked by those able to help them out of dire poverty. Instead most choose to support people living in the bigger, more accessible slums. Sadly, Deep Sea’s families are just as vulnerable.
Tightly packed homes and a lack of basic services like clean or running water and toilets mean disease is rife. And limited healthcare puts lives at risk. Work is hard to come by and pays next to nothing. For parents, simply feeding and clothing their families is hard.
Daily life is about survival, even for young children who often have responsibilities beyond their years. On top of a difficult home life, they can face bullying at school. Their education suffers, and with it, their chance of a better future.
Yet still, we see smiles, hear laughter and watch them play like children not facing a lifetime of poverty. They’re truly incredible. But sadly, they face incredible challenges.
More than half
of households struggle to provide basic necessities like food
43%
of families struggle to pay for health and education
1 in 4
children sometimes miss school meals because parents can’t pay
Almost one in two
children must complete their homework by candlelight, battery torch or kerosene lamp
Deep Sea, Nairobi:
The forgotten slum
12,000 people crowd into the unsafe and unsanitary settlement. Yet the families in Deep Sea are overlooked by those able to help them out of dire poverty. Instead most choose to support people living in the bigger, more accessible slums. Sadly, Deep Sea’s families are just as vulnerable.
Tightly packed homes and a lack of basic services like clean or running water and toilets mean disease is rife. And limited healthcare puts lives at risk. Work is hard to come by and pays next to nothing. For parents, simply feeding and clothing their families is hard.
Daily life is about survival, even for young children who often have responsibilities beyond their years. On top of a difficult home life, they can face bullying at school. Their education suffers, and with it, their chance of a better future.
Yet still, we see smiles, hear laughter and watch them play like children not facing a lifetime of poverty. They’re truly incredible. But sadly, they face incredible challenges.
More than half
of households struggle to provide basic necessities like food
43%
of families struggle to pay for health and education
1 in 4
children sometimes miss school meals because parents can’t pay
Almost one in two
children must complete their homework by candlelight, battery torch or kerosene lamp
Life in Deep Sea
Simon (name changed for safety) lives with his family in an iron sheet dwelling not much bigger than 12 square metres. It’s a tight squeeze for his family of five in just one room.
There’s no bathroom, no kitchen and no windows. And when mum and dad argue there’s nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Some friends have it worse, living amongst family with addictions and witnessing domestic violence or abuse. But it’s the only life they know.
While many children don’t get the opportunity to attend school because of siblings or parents to take care of, Simon is lucky enough to have the chance. He enjoys his classes. But most days faces ridicule from other children for being dirty or smelly. Without sanitation and running water, days can pass between washing and brushing his teeth. It’s impossible for Simon to stay clean, no matter how much he wants the taunting to stop. And he’s often ignored by his teachers, leaving him to cope on his own.
Simon usually has a spring in his step, but sometimes the way other children and his teachers treat him makes him feel worthless. And his mum can see it slowly destroying his confidence. It’s a worry – she knows of children who couldn’t cope with the constant humiliation. They dropped out of school and fell into gangs, drugs or underage work. Young girls become vulnerable to exploitation, and rape and prostitution are a reality, often resulting in unwanted pregnancies. But she feels powerless to make things better for Simon. She has her own struggle just putting food on the table.
Most days it’s about survival for Simon’s mum and dad. Jobs are scarce and they have to do the work when it’s there. Often, it leaves Simon to look after his siblings after school. He stays cheerful – happy to help his family. Sometimes his empty stomach makes it difficult to concentrate on his studies anyway. But it means his homework slips and his education slides, lessening his chances of creating a better future for himself and his family.
It’s a familiar story.
Children in Deep Sea can’t help the circumstances they’ve been born into. But with the right support, they have the chance to change their future. Their resilience is inspirational. The least we can do is give them that support and inspire a better future.
Help us change a child’s life
We’re a small team of people with big hearts, dedicated to the children we support. And support from people like you make our work possible. Without government funding, it’s the only way we can help children surviving in forgotten slums.
Together, we can keep changing lives.
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