My name is Jane Njoki, I am 19 years old and I live in Mitumba slums, located at South C,Langata.I live with my parents and brothers. We are a family of five. I finished my secondary level of education last year,and I thank God for it was a great struggle, having thought that, due to the financial constraints we were facing at home, it was a pipe dream for me to complete education.
It has always been my dream to not only change the lives of my people,but the society at large. I had planned to join a college immediately I clear my education,but all this seem to be just a wish. I do not have a sponsor to pay for my college fees and it would have been a great luck if only I would be in a position to get one. My childhood dream will have come to see the light of the day.
Immediately, I get a chance to prosper with my education, I want to change the tainted image of the slums that has been there for countless decades.We have all sorts of problems here in the slums. No water,and the available one is too little to cater for everyone’s needs in the slums.
Outbreak of diseases are sprawling up in the slums every time, as a result of poor sanitation. The young and the old are dying of cholera,typhoid and so on……
Together with my friends, we have always tried our level best to bring some changes in this environment. We as a youth group called,’Tuff Gong,”it started in 2000,with only seven street boys and our main objective was,to start something that will enable us to be self-reliant, live a positive life and to discourage drug use and crimes that had made jail be the second home for street boys.We were registered by the Ministry of Youth Affairs in 2004.
We started a waste management business,which was thriving at that time,we made enough cash to open an account,what started as a small group, rose up to 48 members.
We also do garbage collection in the slums,and participate in other social work activities,like sensitizing the youth on the dangers of HIV/AIDS’s, as well as peer-to-peer education.
With the proceeds we have made, we want to start-up a water tank project within the slums,as we had already approached the Nairobi water tank company and we paid for the installation of pipes what we are waiting for, is the tank.
As youth members of this group,we hope that when disbursement of youth funds will commence, we will be considered, so that we may be self-reliant by being self-employed. In the end, we will be able to make our future dreams come true.
