 We may not know what life looks like living in a slum or a peasant village. It is by walking into it, interacting with the inhabitants, sleeping with them and waking up to no hope of breakfast. It is the only way you will understand their world. St perso, kimumon kikana pusp notify rokotana na para join. We may not know what life looks like living in a slum, and if we eat We had not yet seen a sister, who was living in the area, who was living next to us. I'm a mother of three, I'm a social worker, an addiction therapist, a certified professional mediator and the founder of the Slam Girls Initiative. I registered in Bihoon based in Korogocho Slam, Kwa Mungu Village. Iwas born many years ago in Tarakani, the county, Mugumango sub-location. I'm the fifth born in a family of seven, five girls and two boys. I have very beautiful memories of my former TV years as I was growing up in the village, that is Kiamarago village. I started school like any other child, but I didn't go. Then we used to do Nasadi, then grade one, but I never went to Nasadi school. So I left home and went straight to grade one. So I think my journey has been paved from a very long time ago. And I started my schooling at Ingaita primary school from grade one, class one to then was class one to class four. In class four, those years it was like a normal thing to be transition to a boarding school. So in grade class five to class eight, I was taken to Katihtoni boarding primary school that is in Chuka, but within the Tarakani village. And then from there I went to Iwajao secondary school where I did my form one to form four. I transitioned to growing up, I wanted to be a nurse. So I waited for two years to get a nursing school I never got. So after two years I joined Trakom College to do medical laboratory where we were the first people to do the board exam. I qualified and I finished in November and in December I had a job. I worked for six months and I felt I did not belong to medical field. So I talked to my mum and I went back to school to do social work and in social work I found my place and they always say for me social work is not a career. It's my passion and it is my calling. And basically that's my background. Jani, a mother of three and a social worker has lived with these people. She has felt their pain and witnessed their struggles. She knows well how to describe the Korogocho slum. For me Korogocho is a normal place. It's a place I feel at home. It's a place I have learnt so much and especially being able to associate with the people from the lower sector. But what can I say? For me Korogocho is home. If you spend over eight hours in a day in a place that is your home. I have found people here that we have connected in a good way and I wouldn't ask for more. Neither would I change my journey. I was given a chance. I would still want to be part of Korogocho. I say my connection with the community started when back in 2014 and through working with their children I got to interact more with their parent and their larger community and when I started working in Korogocho I realised that period poverty was real. And like what I used to watch on televisions I was now face to face with the reality and so I started buying sanitary parts for the girls. I did that for quite a while. In 2016 I reached out to somebody and she donated 4,000. I reached out to more people in the sanitary parts and that house lamb girls initiative came into exist. She has a keen eye on lamb girls but not forgetting the boy child and children with disabilities. Many people ask why did I choose the name lamb girls. It's like stigmatising. But it's not stigmatising because the dream was born through the girls that live in the storm areas so it is their project. It is not my project as per say. So apart from sanitary parts which you call menstrual engine management we have mentorship programmes where we partner with another organisation called the Tumainitras Kenya and then we have machine on wheels. Machine on wheels seek to restore dignity and confidence to school children through mending their town school uniform. We realise that as much as we are giving sanitary parts to restore dignity and confidence the dignity is not there if the uniform is torn. So in 2021 someone donated a machine and so we donated it to the programme and called it machine on wheels. So choosing schools I talk to teachers I also talk to pupils to be able to get and then again considering that they are in the same area that means they face the same probably the same challenges. So once I talk to the teachers I talk to the pupils then I am able to weigh which is cool I am moving to next or which is cool I am bringing into the project but period poverty is real very real we didn't introduce it to more schools but due to the limitations we then move at a slower pace. The day that we are giving sanitary parts previously we used to work in schools but now we have a place of our own we have a school and a big compound where we do it but starting that term we will be gathering all the girls in our premises and then do the sanitary parts however like today what we want to do when we come to give the sanitary parts we give a talk both boys and girls together and then at one point we separate them and then we distribute the sanitary parts but you always give a talk I already talk a formation talk an encouragement talk so about menstrual engine management we've been doing it for years we can't keep on talking about it every month what we normally do is keep on talking more about their engine during those days but we do have talks and then we distribute the parts now we don't give to other girls because not all of them need them we only give to those that are already having their period and this we do in partnership with the school where we work and the teachers the female teachers that we work with because we are not giving sanitary parts for mommy or for auntie at home or the cousin we are giving to you who is in school who is in need and we tell them if you go out there and give out to mama or you give out to your neighbor you are in need because as we are covering you because you are in school because your parent should be able to support you with this product they are not supporting you it's not your responsibility as a child to provide to your parent I am a teacher at inclusive gifted inclusive school I come from bigger county personally I am a teacher at inclusive I deal with baby class students so I know my deal with matters to do with some subjects which deal with baby class students play group for me I think now they have been so friendly to me they are good welcoming and they are able to attend and good listeners I think some of the students pass through some situations like their parents are not friendly they are cruel maybe some of their parents have some problems in their homes so bringing them up would relate with them well so that they can capture we've been friends for so long with Jani she calls herself Jani Onajani we have been together with her on this journey since we met her our relationship has been good has been bringing pads to the girls in this school every month and she also started machine on wheels where she is scattering on for the boy child also because when she was bringing the pads she saw that the girls the children, the uniforms were torn they lose their dignity they lowered their self esteem so she thought it wise as much as she is bringing the pads she also brought the tailor to mend the torn slots and Jani has really helped us in this journey because before we met her it was very tough for us as the female teachers when the girls receive the men's some will not come to school they she away they don't come to school they miss even school for one week but we were working on it we could have even bought some for them because the most needy but when she came to our rescue we really embraced her efforts she has been doing it every month and that has even raised the performance of the girl child because every now and then that in school when they miss the pads they come to us she brings even a surplus we give them one packet every month and we keep some for emergency because the boy has even enhanced the performance of the girl child in the school the machine on wheel also has even enhanced the performance of the boy child because when the shot is torn the boy also know as his dignity so she has been doing that and the pupils are really grateful and the teachers and the community as a whole we are really grateful for her journey It is a slum the folks are working relentlessly to improve their lives and for others in school we have children we have children and we have children we have children in school and we are clean we are really grateful for the children we are grateful the people who are here who are going to take care of us Awa mika tu kuwa nyumbani housewife Azidi tu kuwa, naia roa, azidi kuwa wangeleja wana wake, ili wa toke Mashinan Wales is a machine that comes and settles in a school Previously it was one month but now we are doing a full term Like now it settles here for one full term It means turn school uniforms without paying anything Ya, it is free And then once we are done with that school term We move now to another school And so far a thousand plus pupils have benefitted And the machine has settled in four schools So far as we continue moving to other schools Which other programs do we have? We have a school by the name Gifted Inclusive School That has been a dream that has come to be edited this year Being also a mother of a special needs child I faced challenges of putting my child in a school Coz in a normal special school she couldn't fit in Let's say a normal school Also she could not fit in very well So as a mother and as a community worker Who has seen mother's struggle with children with disability It has been my dream to come up with an inclusive school Where we can bring in learners with disability And integrate them with other learners So far we have baby class We opened our doors in May We are born in a praying group Where we have 22 children Basically that is what we do And in school we have a feeding program And when we buy we give 10 o'clock Per inch and lunch Jenny knows well that she is set on a long journey Challenging but she understands she can't be a long traveler She tells me of a few of her fellow juniors The journey has not been easy In the social media it looks very rosy And very good but it has been tough Very, very tough I am happy that I have mentored Our kids that right now some of them are in medical schools Some of them are in IT And every time I walk around even in town And the kid calls me They call me a social worker I really feel so good Because someone who comes and tells me Because of the talk that you gave I understand around Like one case that of a boy He was a straight aim boy He was at a school that I will not mention In Form 2, Form 2, Form 3 He started smoking ban And then it was reported from school And he was told to go and see a therapist And so I started working with this boy And I realised there were some issues That we had not dealt with And I was able to help him walk through that I brought him the mother Apparently the father died when he was very young And he had not processed the laws So he didn't know any other way to go through loss and grief And I can report the boys that Masuda Murino And he never got a straight A But at least he got a B Ya, so that is one of the cases that I look at And I'm grateful that I was happy to be part of this town Most of the people that I work with Are sort of volunteers, let me say that So manpower, I'm a human resource At least seen in 2 kwa sawa sana And then getting the product The menstrual gene product It's a biggest challenge Like now this has been my biggest challenge this year I have never sat in my office And found that I did not have sanitary pads For the first time since 2016 I have found that the office is almost completely empty Why? The government in myongezani With this whatever is happening Prices have gone high A package that we used to buy 50 shillings Is going now for 80 shillings What does that tell you? It's very challenging And then the government keeps on telling us That they are giving 3 quality sanitary pads to schools Which is schools? They target public schools And these public schools I visited some And the schools will tell you The last time we received pads 3, 4, 5 months ago That's another challenge The government should at least Be able to support people like us Who are trying to reach out to girls To be able to reach out to more Because if we get more product The more girls we reach Our partner as per year now Is Tumain Trust We've been partnering for the past 26 years Then Tumain Trust do sponsorship High school and university And so we partner in terms Of mentoring the children They are consultants Social worker and advisor Advisor of them board So we have individuals That we partner with Some of them don't like being mentioned But we have individuals Those that give sanitary pads But the main partner as per year now Is Tumain Trust Roses can grow in slums Just as weeds can grow around mansions One at a time Journey is planting these flowers And ensures they remain watered Throughout She has this immense driving force Just serving humanity And being able to make a difference In a child's life or a person's life Just working in your life And making new view life In a different angle That's my motivation My future My future looks very beautiful I have Big dreams A very big dream That even scares me To do My dream really scares me Because I want to be the first school To have a school bus in Korogocho Why can't kids in Korogocho Be interrupt by a school bus Like children in estates What makes them Different So we want to be the first school To have a school bus That moves around Korogocho Dropping and picking kids We want to have A training institute Where we can Train aunts on skills Air and dressing, cap entry Joint re So that we can Be seated in groups Doing work Some of them probably are smoking bank If you walk in a street right here You find people sleeping on the road Drunk Can we have a rehab center For these people I am hopeful that I will live long enough To see what I have in mind Come to accomplishment The Slamgal Initiative Is here to change the narrative To dissolve the narrative of slams Being a breeding ground of poverty And crime A place where people have no great education In anything except stealing And fighting to stay alive Just to survive Jani is working towards the empowerment Of these communities To thriving happy people Social work is not a career for me Social work is a calling And I don't think you can Your passion is your passion I can't say that I do not want to do this passion Of serving humanity I want to play footibu I have two left feet I want to play footibu I want to be a dancer With the two left feet Where will you dance So for me I've never ever Ever Change I left Mendicofil The next life I want to be a social worker God bless her so much God give her so many friends So that they can come together in that journey To help more schools And God add a more year So that let her Have that heart To help more Not only Maranata Kurokoto just But go to expand her territories So that she can help More others in the slam areas Let me take this opportunity To thank to my interest Kenya Under the able leadership of The beautiful Tarida Puri Negri And It has been It has been a wonderful journey Working with you And being able to impact So many lives And to my interest continue Doing the good work that you are doing Sponsoring kids in high school And University because we are making a difference In this community I also want to thank all the partners Individuals that have been Out there some strangers that we've never met For believing in this dream And supporting journey And as you support journey You are supporting the main organization The SRAM Girls Initiative So this growth is not mine It just chose me as your face But I want to say it's because of you It's because of your giving Of your sacrifice That you have been able to wear And without you Kenyans of goodwill You wouldn't be here So feel appreciated Even though I'm not mentioning my name by name You are so many If you find your passion Call it I always say nothing can beat passion Because if you do a career You may do a career that you don't like And you continue working Even though you don't like it Choose something that you love Choose something that is in you And choose something that you enjoy doing And if you are working If you are doing a job that you love And enjoy doing Then you'll never struggle Like waking up and I want to think Where am I going at the end of the day Just choose something that you enjoy doing