The President of the Ford Foundation, Susan Berresford last week visited the Nairobi slum of Korogocho, one of the most deprived low income settlements in East Africa, for a first-hand review of a project that recently won a top UN-HABITAT award.  Ms. Berresford and the trustees were appraised on the activities of the People United for a New Korogoch whose poverty alleviation work won the 2006 Mashariki Award for innovations in local governance.
The awards programme, established in 2002 by UN-HABITAT with the support of the Ford Foundation, aims to showcase and reward projects in East Africa that address locally felt needs by involving those most in need. The team led by Ms. Beresford was shown an special school with with a unit that caters for children with learning disabilities, a library, the community gym and the a dumpsite all designed to improve living conditions. Other components of the programmes run by People United for a New Korogocho include joint activities with the Kenya National Human Rights Commission, the Sarakasi Trust Young Acrobats Outreach Program, a children's project and the African Population and Health Reseach Centre which conducts demographic surveys in the area. |
