Life in the Slums

There’s no hiding it.  It is tough to grow up in Kibera, Githogoro, Huruma and other slums with similar conditions.

Ellie's Run began in  2004 by making a difference in East Africa's largest slum, Kibera. It is a filthy, depressed, impoverished, and diseased place. 

Only one square mile large, some estimates say Kibera is home to 1 million people.

Families live on less than $100 a month – which has to stretch between $8 rent, clothing, food, healthcare and education.  As many as eight family members will live in mud huts, smashed one next to the other and sharing walls, that are no larger than 10’X10’.  This includes sleeping areas, a kitchen, living area and, if lucky, a place to go to the bathroom.  Often times, however, residents go to the bathroom in a plastic bag and fling it out of the house into the streets.

Speaking of the streets:  they’re lined with trash and human waste, but because the area has no official public schools or playgrounds, these streets become the place where children play all day, every day.  It’s not sanitary, and it’s not safe as many times the adults of the community are out of work, using drugs and alcohol. For many reasons, t is not a safe environment for children.

We said it before:  it’s depressing. 

But there's more...

There is hope.

And through education, with the help of friends like you, we are seeing students grow up and attend post-secondary programs like IT school and law school.  

Students have hope of a future beyond the slums!

Though Kibera is name known all over the world, there are many smaller slums nearby with equally desperate conditions.   Huruma and Githogoro are two of those places. There we find children who are struggling to work and feed hungry younger siblings. And again we find children who are full of hope, excitement, and gratitude. On a trip in 2009, we found New Dawn School - and quickly fell in love!

Ellie’s Run for Africa exists to provide education to kids in the slums of Nairobi that cannot afford school on their own. Since 2004, Ellie’s Run has provided access to elementary and high school education. We have also funded the construction of a vocational school. We believe that education gives hope to the kids who have no other opportunities, and we have success stories to prove it!

Ellie's Run for Africa is an event of 501c3 nonprofit African Leadership Inc. We are honored to join their efforts to "invest deep." For more infomration, visit www.africanleadershipinc.org.