Wakibe

MDGs—HIV/AIDS, Education, Poverty

About Us
Wakibe now includes a Child Feeding Program fro AIDS orphans and HIV+ children, a nursery school (and developing primary school) with school fee sponsorhip, HIV support groups, advocacy and education programs for the public, a medical centre, job skill training programs for HIV+ women, and its own restaurant and hotel enterprise run by women to subsidize their incomes and further support the programs.

Our Community
The Mathare slums, where Wakibe is based, are located just east of Nairobi, Kenya. The slum, one of the largest and poorest slums in Africa, is home to nearly half a million people, struggling to pull their community out of poverty.  The Nairobi River flows through the heart of the slums, however there is no electricity, running water, or sewers in the slums.  Unemployment and crime are high, and education is highly prized, but limited.

Our History
When Margaret took up residences in the Mathare slums in 2002, she was inspired by the broad suffering brought on by HIV to establish Wakibe HIV Community.  What began as small groups of women meeting to discuss problems, share food, and learn about AIDS, quickly developed into a community outreach center. Wakibe grew to address more and more AIDS issues, and Margaret and her team of eighteen continue to make groundbreaking headway in the battle against HIV/AIDS.