GIRL’S LIFE IN A SLUM
I am Habiba Juma from Kibera, a self-oriented lady and a go-getter. I grew in Kibera slums, a place where people consider to be unsafe. However, they don’t know it’s actually a place where young, talented and hardworking youths have the passion to learn and explore. Nevertheless, it’s also where most girls lack role models.
Living in a slum is tough but it teaches one to overcome various challenges faced in life. I have spent my whole youth living in Kibera, which has not only built me physically but also mentally. I have been able to overcome the challenges by focusing on my goal and avoiding everything that diverts my attention and focus away from my goal. This is why most of the girls living around Kibera get affected and end up losing focus, which has been a great threat to Kibera development.
A slum is a free exposed area where you meet different people with different motives, characters, behaviours, and intention. This has been a dangerous thing that affects people in the slum especially girls. Many girls in slums lose their focus in education through peer-pressure and drug abuse. This may lead to school dropout through contracting diseases like STI or pregnancy, whereby the number has gradually increased.
As a slum community member, we should stand up to support girls life for better community growth. Many girls in slum lack guidance in life and end up losing their direction and purpose in life. Seminars should be held as much as possible and girls should be advised to attend, so as to get a chance to share problems, ideas, and feel safe and worthied. They should also be provided with essential materials like sanitary towels and panties. This will not only reduced dropouts but also give them a chance to share, and get advice through attending the seminars and life skills in schools.
Living in a slum is not by choice but we should always know what we need in life.
Remember being born in a duck yard does not matter if only you are hatched from a swan’s egg.
Tunapanda Institute through its wing TechDada is supporting young girls at the slums of Kibera by providing mentorship and training them tech-related skills, such as basic programming (using Scratch and KTurtle), graphic design, communication, and other interpersonal skills.
