Informal Settlement Upgrading Project
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Funds basic infrastructure upgrades — safer walkways, lighting, drainage — in informal urban settlements rather than displacement-based clearance.
Why this matters in Kenya
A large share of Nairobi's residents live in informal settlements packed onto a small fraction of the city's land, much of it along rivers, railways and roads or on plots with disputed ownership. Because residents lack formal title, utilities and the county have historically treated these areas as temporary, so drainage, paved paths, lighting, sewers and piped water were never built to the standard of the rest of the city. Water and electricity are often bought from informal vendors at higher prices than in formal neighborhoods.
The consequences are daily and physical. Heavy rain turns paths into open drains, and the 2024 long rains flooded riverside settlements and destroyed homes. Unlit lanes are dangerous at night, especially for women and girls walking to toilets or work. Clearance has often been the official answer, demolishing homes without an alternative. In-situ upgrading keeps people in their communities with their livelihoods intact, improving infrastructure step by step with residents rather than moving them out.
What your gift pays for
- Drainage channels and paved walkways designed with residents to reduce flooding
- Solar and grid-connected street lighting for unlit lanes and paths to sanitation blocks
- Community enumeration and mapping that gives residents data to plan upgrades with county authorities
- Savings group support and community meetings where residents set their own priorities
Organization
Muungano wa Wanavijiji / SDI Kenya · Kenya
Founded 1996 · Headquarters: Nairobi
Kenyan federation of slum dwellers and its support NGO SDI Kenya, leading community-driven in-situ upgrading such as the Mukuru Special Planning Area in Nairobi.
How they work: Muungano wa Wanavijiji is a federation of slum dwellers built on daily savings groups, many of them led by women, linked into a citywide network. Members carry out their own enumerations and settlement profiles, counting households, mapping structures and documenting services, and use that data to negotiate with county and national government. SDI Kenya provides technical and planning support, and the federation belongs to Slum Dwellers International, a global network of similar federations.
Track record: Muungano's community data collection in Mukuru contributed to its August 2017 declaration as a Special Planning Area for upgrading 647 acres home to over 100,000 families.
✓ Verified by our team on 20 May 2022
Giving in Kenya
Housing is the dominant theme in Kenya, approached from several directions. Muungano wa Wanavijiji upgrades walkways, lighting and drainage in informal urban settlements instead of clearing them, the Kenya Society of Care Leavers provides peer mentoring and transition support for young people leaving institutional care, and Habitat for Humanity Kenya repairs unsafe rural homes for elderly residents. A fourth cause, with SAPTA, funds outpatient addiction treatment for people who cannot afford private rehabilitation.
4 causes are listed in Kenya, each with its own verified organization. $255,207 has been distributed to causes in Kenya since 2021.
Our guide to giving in Kenya · all 4 causes
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How your gift reaches this cause
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