Education is a right, but it is not guaranteed, even if it’s decreed under the Constitution. Access to it is a challenge, especially for Kenyans living in the slums, as is typical of Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi.
For this and other reasons, Human Needs Project (HNP) co-founders Connie Nielsen and David Warner launched the Kibera Town Centre pilot project in 2014 to address this challenge.
Connie is an actress who experienced the problems in Kibera firsthand when she spent 10 months there making a movie, while David is the CEO of Redhorse Constructors, a California-based company.
The Human Needs Project is managed and run by Kibera residents who continuously work to meet some of the basic needs of the community in Kibera.
The non-profit organisation offers long-term solutions and integrated service deliveries that cover every basic human need service in one “town centre” to the community. It continues to implement the latest technologies in adult learning projects, green energy, credit access, and sanitation in the quest to build infrastructure for opportunity.
The Human Needs Project dream of providing digital learning for its adult students in Kibera became a reality in 2021 thanks to a partnership with the Safaricom Foundation, which donated 21 refurbished computers through its Ndoto Zetu initiative.
Through the Safaricom Foundation, the Ndoto Zetu initiative provides opportunities to support communities’ dreams and help change their lives. It supports projects in education, health, and economic empowerment that have a strong community impact.
“We were able to replace the old computers that we were using before with much newer desktops that could do a lot more than just the basic office applications. Initially, we were struggling to offer the basic computer applications using the old computers, but now we are able to offer even better programmes like coding and graphic and web design development,” said Peter Muthaura, Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Human Needs Project.
Since 2015, the organisation has graduated 6,000 young people, and through its partnerships, it has placed about 4,000 of them into gainful employment, whether on contracts or short-term gigs.
Watch the video to learn more about the work done at HNP.
