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kibera: the permanent squatters, nairobi | francesco zizola

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Kibera, Kenya. 4 July 2011 Kibera's clustered shacks, made of mud or wood walls and corrugated iron rooftops, extend over an area of approximately 2.5 km2 (256 ha). It was once believed to be Africa's second largest slum, with an estimated population of 1 million people, but the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census showed that Kibera is much smaller than what was originally thought, being home to 170,070 people. Overlooking the slum are the new blocks of flats of the decanting site, built in 2009 to temporarily accommodate the residents of Soweto East (one of the 13 villages within Kibera) while their village was demolished and rebuilt as part of the Kenya Slum Upgrading Project (KENSUP). The $1.2 billion project is financed by the World Bank, UN-Habitat and the Kenyan Government. Aimed at eradicating Nairobi's slums by relocating their residents into new districts built on the site of the former shantytowns, the project was legally challenged by more than 80 Kibera landlords soon after it started in 2009 and has reached a standstill.
Kibera, Kenya. 6 July 2011 A man carries his possessions to the shack where he's recently moved to. Kibera's population grows by the day, welcoming migrants moving away from the poverty stricken countryside in search of job opportunities in Nairobi. According to the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Kibera is home to 170,070 people.
Kibera, Kenya. 6 July 2011 A train slows down as it passes through the slum. The Uganda Railway Line - built at the time of the British colonial rule and known locally as 'The Lunatic Express' - passes through the center of Kibera. Shacks are tightly packed together and the railway is the main thoroughfare for the slum residents, who often walk along the rails. There is a railway station in Kibera, though trains don't stop but keep moving at a slow pace to let people hop on and off.
Kibera, Kenya. 8 July 2011 Two kids play in front of a stall. Classified as an informal urban settlement, Kibera is not recognised by the Kenyan Government and basic services, like water, education, electricity and sanitation are provided by private contractors at a cost. Officially, Kibera is an illegal squatters camp and houses don't have any official address.
Kibera, Kenya. 4 July 2011 A man carries a wood bundle on a dirt street overlooking Kibera.
Kibera, Kenya. 29 June 2011 Farida Atei, 19, and her sister Zuhura, 13, on their way to one of the MSF clinics in Kibera. Zuhura will have her first appointment with the counselor and the doctor to start ARV treatment. She was diagnosed with HIV and Tuberculosis early in June but her sister preferred not to break the news to her in order to protect her from the shock.
Kibera, Kenya. 3 July 2011 A boy, with his head covered by a hood, walks along one of Kibera's typical rubbish-laden dirt alleyways. The ground in much of Kibera is composed of refuse and rubbish and the whole slum is heavily polluted by human refuse. The lack of sanitation is one of Kibera's worse problems. Communal latrines can be used at a cost but at night, when going outside is too dangerous, some people use plastic bags - the so called ?flying toilets? - to dispose of their waste, and fling them out of the window into the street.
Kibera, Kenya. 8 July 2011 A dog stands next to several hosepipes laid in the mud by Kibera's inhabitants to channel water into the slum. Classified as an informal urban settlement, Kibera is not recognised by the Kenyan Government and basic services, like water, education, electricity and sanitation are provided by private contractors at a cost. Officially, Kibera is an illegal squatters camp and no governmental development plan has ever been completed for it.
Kibera, Kenya. 8 July 2011 Men and dogs walk along one of Kybera's typical rubbish-laden dirt alley fenced by mud walled shacks. In the background, blocks of flats of one of Nairobi's districts bordering the slum. Once a green area, outside of what would become the city of Nairobi, allocated by the British colonial rule to the Nubian (Sudanese) soldiers who served for the British Army during World War I and II (1912), Kibera slowly turned into a slum after Kenya became independent in 1963. The slum has been encircled by the sprawling capital and it is now just 5 km (3.1 mi) far from the city center. The Kenyan Government never recognized the Nubians land tenure rights for Kibera and assumed ownership of the land. The hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of Kibera are officially considered squatters.
Kibera, Kenya. 2 July 2011 A young girl walks along one of Kibera's typical muddy, rubbish-laden alleyways. An open sewage canal runs through in the middle. The lack of sanitation, the deplorable hygiene, overcrowding and the environmental conditions present a high risk in terms of contractible diseases in Kibera.
Kibera, Kenya. 8 July 2011 A woman walks along an alley on the outskirts of the slum. In the background, blocks of flats of one of Nairobi's districts bordering the slum. Once a green area, outside of what would become the city of Nairobi, allocated by the British colonial rule to the Nubian (Sudanese) soldiers who served for the British Army during World War I and II (1912), Kibera slowly turned into a slum after Kenya became independent in 1963. The slum has been encircled by the sprawling capital and it is now just 5 km (3.1 mi) far from the city centre. The Kenyan Government never recognized the Nubians land tenure rights for Kibera and assumed ownership of the land. The hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of Kibera are officially considered squatters.
Kibera, Kenya. 3 July 2011 A Sunday morning in Kibera. In the background, a brick hut belonging to one of the wealthiest families in Kibera.
Kibera, Kenya. 2 July 2011 A boy runs along one of Kibera's typical rubbish-laden dirt alleyways, while a woman prepares food on a makeshift stove outside her shack.
Kibera, Kenya. 8 July 2011 Three boys in school uniforms look out of the window of the Kenya Railways train as it passes through Kibera.
Kibera, Kenya. 29 June 2011 Farida Atei, 19, and her sister Zuhura, 13, on their way to one of the MSF clinics in Kibera, where Zuhura will have her first appointment with the counselor and the doctor to start ARV treatment. She was diagnosed with HIV and Tuberculosis early in June but her sister preferred not to break the news to her, in order to protect her from the shock.
Kibera, Kenya. 3 July 2011 People gather outside a church after attending the Sunday mass. On the door of one of the shacks in the background, a self-help group is advertised. The very harshness of life in a community with so few material advantages has been the springboard to an impressive array of self-help groups and local initiatives.
Kibera, Kenya. 6 July 2011. A woman covers her head with a shawl.
Kibera, Kenya. 29 June 2011 Zuhura Atei, 13, rests on her way back home from the MSF clinic where she has started her ARV treatment. She contracted HIV from her mother, who died in 2001 from HIV related causes. Zuhura is still unaware that she is HIV positive, as her older sister Farida, who is her sole carer, decided to wait for Zuhura to get better before breaking the news.
Kibera, Kenya. 2 July 2011 A boy leaps from a rock into a tank filled with water. Despite extreme poverty, endemic crime and widespread disease, Kibera is buzzing with life and children can be seen cheerfully playing in the alleyways around.
Kibera, Kenya. 4 July 2011 Dennis Nyamai, 16, walks to his school, which is located between Kibera and Nairobi's city centre. He lives in Kibera with his grandmother, as his parents died from HIV related causes when he was 6. An MSF patient, Dennis was born HIV positive and has Tuberculosis. He dreams of becoming a chef and of working at a 5 star hotel in Nairobi. "I would like to be a chef simply because I see many chefs are preparing good food and they are visiting many countries, like America or Mexico".
Nairobi, Kenya. 7 July 2011 Dennis Nyamai, 16, takes a walk in Nairobi's city center. Spending time in town is one of Dennis' passions. Both his parents died from HIV related causes when he was 6 and he moved in with his grandmother in Kibera. He dreams of becoming a chef and has been sponsored to continue his education at college, where he studies food and beverages. "If I will be able to complete [school] and do well, I will be able to do work and give my first salary to my grandmother. I'm dreaming that. She is my role model".
Nairobi, Kenya. 7 July 2011 Nairobi's central business district. With a population of more than 3 million people, Nairobi is one of the most prominent cities in Africa, politically and financially.
Nairobi, Kenya. 7 July 2011 Dennis Nyamai, 16, looks at the 5 star hotel where he dreams of working as a chef one day. Spending time in the city center is one of Dennis' passions. He moved to Kibera at the age of 6, when both his parents died from HIV related causes, and has been living with his grandmother ever since.
Nairobi, Kenya. 7 July 2011 People walk along the pavement of one of Nairobi's central streets. With a population of more than 3 million people, Nairobi is one of the most prominent cities in Africa, politically and financially.
Kibera, Kenya. 7 July 2011 Farida Atei, 19, in her house. Farida lives in Kibera with her sister Zuhura, 13, and their uncle. She has been the sole carer of her HIV positive sister since their mother died from HIV related causes in 2001. Farida spends most of her time at home as she is afraid to go out, since violence and crime pose a threat to young women.
Kibera, Kenya. 5 July 2011 A man walks along one of Kibera's dimly lit alleyways. Venturing through the slum at night is very dangerous, especially for women, who risk being robbed or raped. Policemen are rarely seen and security is provided by paid vigilantes groups.
 



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Kibera, Kenya. 4 July 2011 Kibera's clustered shacks, made of mud or wood walls and corrugated iron rooftops, extend over an area of approximately 2.5 km2 (256 ha). It was once believed to be Africa's second largest slum, with an estimated population of 1 million people, but the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census showed that Kibera is much smaller than what was originally thought, being home to 170,070 people. Overlooking the slum are the new blocks of flats of the decanting site, built in 2009 to temporarily accommodate the residents of Soweto East (one of the 13 villages within Kibera) while their village was demolished and rebuilt as part of the Kenya Slum Upgrading Project (KENSUP). The $1.2 billion project is financed by the World Bank, UN-Habitat and the Kenyan Government. Aimed at eradicating Nairobi's slums by relocating their residents into new districts built on the site of the former shantytowns, the project was legally challenged by more than 80 Kibera landlords soon after it started in 2009 and has reached a standstill.