 | © K. Jensen / UN-HABITAT |
A new UN-HABITAT health, rehabilitation and community learning centre for disabled slum children is set to open on schedule thanks to funding and support from the social fund of the German chemical giant, BASF.
Designed as a pilot project that began in 2008 with BASF funding to the tune of 100,000 euros (USD 139,000), the project is located in a neighbourhood called Soweto, part of Nairobi’s overcrowded Kibera slum.
At weekend, Mr. Guenter Karl, Acting Chief of the Partners and Youth Branch, visited the centre to see workers putting on the finishing touches. When it opens in December, the centre will accommodate up to 40 children with disabilities in a safe environment, providing health services tailored to their needs, as well as a community resource centre with computerized youth training facilities.
"The Kibera Soweto East Resource Center is unique in the sense that it provides important social services to an especially underserved population in the middle of the slum. There is a strong desire on the part of the community to get the centre up and running," Mr. Karl said.
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