Building safe houses for our community in the slum

Dear reader,

My name is Eva Labrujere, I'm an environmental planner from the Netherlands. I have been involved with the community of Mathare (Nairobi, Kenya) ever since I finalized my graduation research on informal urbanization and community-led development in 2018. In that year, I visited Mathare for the first time. I was deeply touched by the people that I had met. But after finishing my degree, my questions had only increased. Does your place of residence determine your chances in life? Or do the chances in your life determine where you live? What I did know is that the people from Mathare cannot rely on authorities to provide any basic necessities. These people are subject to a living environment that is, in many ways, life-threatening - every single day.

However, in the many conversations I had since 2022 with residents, teachers and community activists of Mathare, a conviction dawned. We are not victims, we are being victimized. That does not mean we can not create change in our lives. That change starts with ownership. Our organization MILANGO was born. We have a clear goal: to equip ourselves with the knowledge and tools to BUILD HOUSES OURSELVES. Within 10 months we aim to build a 3-story housing block with 10 houses.

In order to do this, we need your help! For phase 1, we are raising €18.655,- : for the training to learn how to produce bricks with the manual machinery from renowned company called Oskam (€4.500,- from which still needed €2.380,-) and purchase the machinery (€16.275,-). The subsequent phase entails land acquisition and housing construction, for which the costs will be determined at a later stage. Because of practical reasons we have separated these, for now, from the GoFundMe. In the meantime we are also working on grants applications for those costs. Below you will find the full description of our campaign.

My commitment is to build homes and change lives. Will you join me?

On behalf of the Milango team, I express my great gratitude for any support you are able to give.

Thank you.

Warm regards, Eva

> THE TEAM

We are 14 members of the non-profit community-organization called MILANGO - 13 local residents and one ambassador from the Netherlands. We are based in the informal settlement (“slum”) of Mathare Valley in Nairobi, capital of Kenya in the eastern part of Africa. We have one belief: everybody deserves to have a place to call home. And nobody should live in fear to lose it. With this belief, our organization started in 2022 and registered in february 2024.

> OUR CHALLENGE

Affordable and secure housing is a basic human right in Kenya. However, about 60% of Nairobi’s population lives in informal settlements such as Mathare Valley. Our community copes with many challenges concerning housing, environment and waste, security of tenure, access to basic services (water, electricity, sewage), health and sanitation. Overall, problems in our neighborhood are wide-ranging and are exacerbated by poverty and extreme overcrowding.

Due to unsafe electricity connections, fire outbreaks happen regularly. Residents also face risks of electrocution because of these unsafe connections. Water borne diseases are prevalent, due to the lack of drainage systems. House evictions and demolitions are common. In april this year, the extreme rainfall caused floods in Mathare. At least 40 people were drowned and tragically lost their lives. A number of victims remain to be unfound to this day. Many families - estimations up to 30,000 people - lost their homes and had to seek refuge. Our member Olivent was one of them.

Below we share a few pictures of Mathare for your impression.

> OUR FIRST GOAL

We decided that we can take charge of our own living environment - towards more safety, security and better health. Our first goal is to become equipped with the knowledge and tools to produce bricks manually and build one 3-story housing block with 10 houses in 10 months.

> HOW WE DO IT

We do it by following these steps:

-Phase 1

-Phase 2

Time planning

Time planning depends on several factors, but we want to finalize the project within 10 months from the start of phase 1.

And then?

We aim to replicate! By working together with other resident groups in our neighbourhood, and sharing all the gained knowledge, we aim to build even more houses with self produced bricks for the wider community of Mathare.

> WHAT WE NEED

-Phase 1 (Step 1: education/training, still needed €2.380,- out of €4.500,-; Step 2: machinery €16.275,-)

-Phase 2 (Step 3: CLT; Step 4: housing construction):

> WHAT YOUR DONATION DOES

In 10 months:

> THANK YOU!

Aside from the immediate positive impact on safety and health - a house is so much more than a roof. It is a safe haven that provides for feeling secure and stable. This is the essential foundation enabling us to grow and build a better future for our families. Writing this, I am struggling to describe the significance of these homes, that most of all, symbolize that CHANGE is possible.

Join our mission and build with us! Any donation is highly appreciated. With your help we can do this. Even the smallest donation is of huge value to us.

With great thanks,

Team Milango Housing Projects

---------------------------------------------------

> FOLLOWING OUR PROGRESS

Updates will be shared on this GoFundMe-page. Or join our journey on instagram, where you receive updates on our progress: @milango_housing_projects

> MORE INFORMATION & CONTACT

Do you have any questions, or like to chat? Feel free to contact Eva any time through the 'contact' button.

> LINKS / SOCIALS