EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE SLUM
Submitted by Robert McPherson
Text and photos by Robert J. McPherson
The world's slums are growing exponentially. As cities grow and people move for economic reasons and a better life and urbanization outstrips governmental attempts to control population movement so the slums on the peripherals of the world's largest cities expand.
Kibera in Nairobi (Kenya) can’t be found on a map, yet about one out of every five Nairobians call this area home. Kibera is home to 60 percent of Nairobi’s population but does not receive public services, including public waste collection. In some parts, shelter has literally been built on trash and children play on the waste. The waste includes excrement which fills the muddy streets and contaminates the water, and is a serious hazard.
Today over 1 billion people live in slums around the world. In Kibera approximately 800 000 people are squeezed into less than a square mile, and make it one of the biggest slums in the world. United Nations defines slums as poor, overcrowded communities lacking adequate access to safe water and sanitation, public services, basic infrastructure, and quality housing. Significantly, over 90 percent of people living in slums today come from developing countries.
Many people move from their homes in the country side hoping for an improved future with better work opportunities. This is one of the main reasons why slums are continuously growing.
In Kibera there were many families who said that life did not end up as expected, since they could not get a job and had to live in the slum. Even though they wanted to move back to their home they couldn’t afford the travel costs and were trapped in the slum.