Our intrepid team of youth reporters and mappers in three Nairobi slums want to know: where's the money going? They will be mapping and reporting about the progress of local government development projects in the slums to increase accountability and transparency of community funds. Many projects that make use of a fund for community development aren't completed or are not successful; we want to document them so that we can make sure the communities get the full benefit of development.
In many global cities, like Nairobi, Kenya, government development projects are planned and financed throughout impoverished areas, but with little public accountability or transparency. They are often not even found at all on the ground but are listed as complete. Corruption is very common, and local residents are particularly interested in holding the government and their partners accountable. Information may exist on the projects, but isn't easy for the average citizen to access.
Our amazing team of youth from the slums of Kibera, Mathare, and Mukuru will be mapping the precise locations of all the government projects, known as Community Development Fund projects, within the bounds of their neighborhoods. They will then collect basic information about the progress and condition of each project and upload those to a specially designed open website. Our video team members will document and collect resident opinion on the quality and usefulness of each project.
A major problem with government funding wastage will be solved with this project. This affects the entire slum areas of Nairobi, some 3 million people. By simply empowering citizens with the tools to document and share information about local development projects, those who provide shoddy services or run off with funds will no longer be able to do so with impunity. Because of Map Kibera's extensive local networks, we can also work constructively with government to improve services in slums.
