Grogon is one of the biggest settlements in Korogocho slum in Nairobi (Kenya). This massive neighborhood is home to nearly 200,000 people pressed into 1.5 square kilometers.
And here is where Joel, a 16-year-old boy, was born.
Joel’s life is hard. He and his two siblings grew up witnessing daily violence at home.
His parents had separated when Joel was 9 years old and, in 2017, the three siblings relocated to Chuka, a little village 170 kilometers North of Nairobi to live with their grandparents.
Life was not easy for Joel, and he struggled to get used to his new home. At 10 years old, he started tilling farms and carrying out unskilled hard jobs to get food and pay for school supplies and fees.
In December 2019, he got his certificate of primary education and performed well despite the challenges he encountered in achieving this milestone. Joel’s joy was short-lived as his hope of joining secondary school like his peers dwindled each day as he had no support.
Fortunately, the church’s youth pastor asked him to join secondary school in the village a month after his peers had joined and Joel was enrolled until the COVID-19 forced the closing of all schools in Kenya.
Joel continued performing menial jobs to take care of his grandmother meanwhile the pandemic made life in the village hard. In times of scarcity, his uncles perceived him as a threat to inherit the family land and sent him back to Nairobi.
What Joel saw when he arrived at the neighborhood was shocking. Her mother had remarried and moved out of the slum during the COVID-19 pandemic and his brothers had dropped out of school after being neglected forcing them to perform casual jobs and selling secondhand clothes, eggs, or cigarettes.
His father had become an alcoholic with no source of livelihood.
He joined his elder brother in selling eggs and cigarettes trying to make at least 3 euros a day for food, but he was determined to rejoin school once the government decided to reopen it. Joel requested financial support from his father and brothers to resume his classes, but the family had no money, so he started selling ice creams at the school gates to save some money for his studies.
When Joel’s father remarried and settled with his wife elsewhere, Joel was abandoned. A peer, daughter of a Terre des Hommes staff, told her mother about Joel’s story. The TdH case management mentor visited him and reported the case. The mentor found a school for Joel, and he was transferred from his former school in the village. TdH supported Joel with the school fees and school materials.
Finally, Joel joined school after more than a year of determination. Although he joined later than his peers, he worked very hard which impressed his class teacher. He is currently performing well, and his teacher has hope that, with consistency in school attendance, he will succeed.
The psychosocial officer took Joel through therapy sessions to help him to cope with the trauma he had undergone through his past and anxiety separation experienced after the mother remarried. Follow up home and school visits are continuously done to ensure that all presenting concerns are captured and responded to on time.
The project built synergies with the TdH Swiss Solidarity project to support Joel financially and his elder brother, aged 26 year old, was designed as the guardian and has been receiving nearly 60 euros per month to support his basic needs such as food and shelter.
Joel is currently in school and performing well, he is no longer selling ice cream. Financial support through cash transfers has enabled him to meet his basic needs as he attends school. The establishment of a support system has helped him to have a sense of identity and belonging. Joel has now a high sense of esteem and has formed very healthy relationships with his peers.
Keep up to date on the progress of the project by signing up to JOFA’s quarterly newsletter
Get the latest news, case studies, learning briefs, voices of children, and more.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union.
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union