SLUMRISE - Nairobi's Precarious Ascents

“Slumrise” tells the story of four grassroots movements born in Nairobi’s slum communities. These initiatives aim at empowering underprivileged children and adolescents from Nairobi’s townships by improving their quality of life in various ways. The founders realize that the youth can be an agent of change, provided they have access to education and are given a perspective for a brighter future. While the government turns a blind eye to the situation around Kenya’s capital, the inhabitants of Nairobi’s slums live under terrifying, inhumane conditions: there is no running water, no sewage systems, no roads, no trash collection, and no governmental schools or hospitals. At least a third of Nairobi’s population lives here. Estimations indicate that around one third of the inhabitants are HIV positive or have AIDS. Prostitution, drug abuse, and criminality are rife. Most dream of a way out, but for many it will never be achievable. The initiators of these grassroots movements are trying to change that. Not only do they give hope to underprivileged children and youth from Nairobi’s townships, they inspire actual change by actively supporting them and improving their current life circumstances in creative ways.