SLUM VILLAGE: POVERTY

DEHUMANIZING POVERTY.
Soweto Slum village. Why do the poor love, love slum life so much?
Have you ever wondered why poor people would choose to live in dehumanizing poverty conditions?
A place where there is no running water, sewer line, sanitary facility, hospital, public school, market, paved road, street lighting, children public playground nor no garbage collection services.
There are other slum villages in Nairobi, apart from the high profile, Kibera slum villages, the largest and most famous, one million plus people, sub-sahara’s jewel crown in poverty and slum tourism, cry baby. They of the flying toilet infamy.
Do we fly toilets in Soweto?
No we do not, but our raw sewage runs down our streets.
Welcome to Soweto slum village, in Kayole Estate of Nairobi Kenya. A tale of magnetic hospitality in a humbling experience of neglected, in an era of soaring cost of living and age long decay in untold poverty.
In my first article on Soweto, I told you that the Origin of the name SOWETO is South Africa. Soweto is an acronym of South Western Town of South Africa during the apartheid era, widely known today as Soweto township.
Soweto slum village communities lack all the amenities mentioned above, and yet, the slum is alive, thriving in poverty and growing rapidly. Soweto Slums Landlords have an official right to land ownership because it is a resettlement scheme for squatters started by the government of Kenya in the eighties.
With a population of around one hundred thousand people, the slum village is divided into eight villages otherwise know locally as zones. Namely , the eight zones are, Muthaiga ,Central, Shauri yako, Bahati, Mworoto, Kibarage, Gitau and patanisho.
Each of the eight zones are composed of squatter communities resettle by the victims of the infamous land crashes in the right valley. Most of them came with virtually nothing in their possession. They are extremely poor and illiterate due to poverty.
Muthaiga, Central and Shauri Yako zones communities came from government land belonging to Embakasi Army Barracks, where they were squatters. These communities founded Soweto slums. They formed the Original group of airport construction labourers way back in 1976.
Mworoto zone is made up of people formerly living at Nairobi city centers Mworoto shanty town. They were resettled here after the government evicted them.
Kibarage zone is occupied by people evicted from westlands division of Nairobi Known as Kibarage.
Bahati, Gitau & Patanisho zones are occupied by people from rift valley province. Majority being victims of the famous land crashes in the nineties.
The standard size of a Soweto plot is ( 25x70) feet.
These plots were distributed one to every resettled squatter in between 1998 in the late nineties. The new landlords were and still are very poor. They put up (10x10) square feet tin huts for rent. Some plots are idle because the owners can’t develop them due to poverty.
In a single plot, the landlord puts up 13 cubicles of ten square feet each. Each cubicle (hut) accommodates a family of seven excluding visiting relatives. The landlord asks for ten USA dollars monthly which to a slum village dweller is exhorbitant, but this is the cheapest accommodation available anywhere.
The poor love slum life because its cheap compared to other urban places. Everything is broken (divided) into small bits e.g instead of buying one kilogram of sugar, a slum village dweller will purchase one eighth or a quarter of a kilogram.
Since the local government doesn’t provide any services here, a slum village dweller lives his life without worrying about services rendered fees.
There are no bills to pay because there are no electricity, water or garbage collection services to pay for.
End of article 2 on Soweto slum village. Watch out for article no. 3 of the same next week.
Article source: Wisdom Nest community education programme (WINCEP):
www.wisdomnest.blogspot.com/. Read interesting stuff below. These extras will come on a weekly basis.
FOOD TITIVATION:
A weekly bite on food concerns.
Topic: Hunger amidst big food wastage:
People a cross the globe are senselessly throwing away tones of food while millions of others go hungry.
Solid food wastes include:
Fruit, whole chicken, Bread, morning cereals, expired tinned food stuffs, meat, fish, salads e.t.c.
Immoral statistics:
The British throw away 3.6 million tones of food each year, says a Uk study by Liz Goodwin, C.E.O, WRAP.
This is equivalent to one trillion Kenya shillings thrown to land fills every year.
According to Plan International, millions of people need emergency food aid due to food shortages. Every country is guilty of this offense- food wastage.
My cry: Stop Food Wastage.
PRICELESS WISDOM:
A hug is a great gift- one size fits all, and it’s easy to exchange…Anon….
MEN ARE HAPPIER THAN WOMEN:
Every woman is beautiful in her own special way.
Beautiful flowers come in different colors, shapes sizes, scent and demeanor just like women. Without women, the world would be a very unhappy, ugly and boring place. Women are highly intelligent and influential but I still think that man is happier than woman.
You will get one reason per week, please keep in touch. Over 40 reasons available.
Reason no. 1,
We keep our last name:
The bridegroom has the privilege of providing this last name to the newly family. The man keeps his last name and the woman gives her last name. How about that:
Debate:
SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT:
“You open hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing”. Psalm 145:16.
In aid of charity work:
• Donate books, computers, clothes, shoes, sanitary pads, school equipment, teaching materials and related stuff.
• Become a foster parent
• Provide scholarships to needy children.
• Help build a slum school for needy, orphaned and children affected by HIV / AIDS and child labor.
• Proceeds in aid of charity work setting up and running wisdom nest primary school a project of Wisdom nest community education programme-( WINCEP).
:any enquiries, ring Susan +254722814081 or email: snjeri.mugure547@gmail.com. Wincep: registered charity no. 12015. www.wisdomnest.co.ke.