KPSP11 Children play-space

Kibera Public Space Project 11

Design workshop looking at challenges and solutions

Defining the vision for KPSP11

VUMA members present their ideas to the community

KPSP11 Children play-space

Kibera Public Space Project 11

Kibera Public Space Project 11

The second built intervention under the multi-year Community Responsive Adaptation to Flooding research project and the 11th public space in our KPSP network, KPSP11 was being designed and built in partnership with a vibrant youth group called Vijana Usafi na Maendeleo (Youth for Sanitation and Development) in Makina village, Kibera.

Flooding in Makina Village

Makina village is one of the more expensive areas of Kibera, located further from the settlement’s watercourses than many of our KPSP sites.

Nonetheless, our community-led research has found that flooding is a severe issue directly affecting as many as 40% of households in Makina Village. The Vijana Usafi na Maendeleo (VUMA) group worked hard to address the flooding issue as well as creating job opportunities for community members.

Process

Local kids showing off their concept plans for the site

To better understand the group’s workings and mission, VUMA invited KDI to join them in one of their monthly clean-ups.

VUMA went on to co-facilitate and even lead many of the co-design workshops with equal enthusiasm and commitment. These included gender-segregated meetings to understand the challenges facing women in the community, workshops with children to design the play space at the site, and sessions where community members created site models using bricks provided by Nexon Foundation.

Solution

Community hall internal finishes

Now in operation, KPSP11 is designed to fulfill VUMA’s five goals: a clean environment, financial stability, community safety, social welfare, and children’s welfare. The site features a community hall, water kiosk, water tank, playground, and sanitation block that builds on and upgrades existing facilities operated by the youth

In line with KDI’s mission, 90% of the construction labour was sourced by VUMA group from the community. This not only entrenched project planning principles but also created employment for youth during the duration of construction. Through project collaboration it was possible to amalgamate various socio-economic and environmental sustainability elements into KPSP11; Vent windows for the project were fabricated by youth from Kibra through the KDI-KEFRI Carpentry Academy programme; Well renovation; rainwater harvesting and stormwater management was achieved through the Sustainable Urban Drainage strategies (SUDs) programme; A solar water heating system was donated to the project by Davis & Shirtliff and has been instrumental in the business development for the sanitation unit; Wifi facilities have also been installed in the hall through a project partnership with Living Data Hubs (LDH).

Impact

KPSP 11 Toilet block after renovation

The KPSP11 project delivered to Makina village a variety of much-needed amenities and opportunities, and we hope to see long-term impacts within the community and the sustainable development field.

VUMA, who have been actively co-leading the design process from the beginning, have built their capacity to manage complex, community-driven sustainable development processes. The youth who joined the KDI-KEFRI Carpentry Academy learnt vocational skills to support a more prosperous future for themselves and their community. Like KPSP10, the project is yielding critical information for practitioners, governments, and researchers to understand the value of Community Responsive Adaptation approaches to climate risk such as flooding.