Our Beneficiaries

Mwamko Families

  • Founding: Mwamko was formed in 2006 when 26 families in Korogocho slum came together to create a pathway for themselves to decent and safe housing away from the slum.
  • The name: Mwamko is an acronym for Mwito Wa Makao Korogocho, which loosely translates to “a call for better homes for the people of Korogocho”.
  • The Membership: The group is religiously and tribally diverse and consists of 26 families, with 180 family members between them.
  • Finances: Members of Mwamko have monthly meetings and make monthly contributions of KSh.500 (about £4) each.
  • Transparency: Records are kept to keep track of how much each household has contributed, as there are months when some of the members are unable to afford to make a contribution due to fluctuating incomes.
  • Governance: Mwamko is led by a committee, whose members are elected every three years.
  • Professional Background: Most of the founding members of Mwamko have no formal employment. A majority are street sellers, casual labourers and some run shops/stalls.
  • Location: The Altaawon Trust (AT) provides office facilities and helps with the administration cost of the Mwamko Housing Initiative.

Faces of Mwamko

Meet a few of the individuals whose lives are being transformed through our work towards enabling Mwamko Families secure decent and safe housing.

Wanjiru was born in Korogocho about 50 years ago and has lived in the slum for all her life. Her husband passed away three years ago, leaving her to fend for their four children aged 12-24. ' Wanjiru earns her daily bread by buying and selling secondhand clothes in Korogocho and the surrounding areas. On a good day, she earns around KSh.200–250, which is meant to cater for the basics needs, including a monthly rent of KSh.1,000 (£8).
Wanjiru
Amina, who settled in Korogocho 34 years ago, is a widow and the most active member of the Mwamko group. As a young girl, she was forcibly married to a man twice her age. She and her seven children are currently being housed in a two-roomed shack by a relative. Amina hawks secondhand clothes in the sprawling Korogocho slums for a living. On a good day, she makes an average income of KSh.300. As it stands today, her daily expenses exceed her daily income and as such, she is constantly in debt.
Amina
Maria is a 48-year-old single mother, having lost her husband 15 years ago. She grew up in Korogocho slums and attended Baba Ndogo Primary School for her basic education. She has four children (three girls and one boy) aged 22, 18, 15 and 7 years, respectively. Like her, none of her children went to secondary school due to lack of school fees. They all currently live in a mud-thatched room (9ft by 9ft) that serves both as a kitchen and bedroom. Maria collects and sells plastic waste from the nearby Dandora dumpsite for a living. On a good day, she makes an average income of KSh.150 (just over £1), far from enough to clothe, feed, educate and pay her monthly rent of KSh.1,500 (£12).
Maria