MATHARE SLUM

The Informal Settlement of Mathare is a collection of slums with a population of approximately 500,000 to 800,000 people. It is the second largest slum in Kenya after the better known Kibera slums. It covers 157 hectares starting from Pangani. Poverty is rampant in Mathare. Most people live on an income of less than US$1 per day. Crime and HIV/AIDS are at the center stage; drugs, drop out of schools and early teen pregnancies are also on a higher end; and constant gender-based violence (GBV) and poverty have created many families with single mothers.