IASC Deputy Chiefs visit Mathare informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya

The Inter-Agency Standing Commitee (IASC) Deputy Chiefs embark in Nairobi for their bi-annual meeting. The agenda kick-starts with the Deputies visiting Mathare informal settlement. The field visit to Mathare provided an opportunity to understand the multiple dimensions of poverty and spatial inequality in informal urban settlements. The chronic vulnerabilities of people in slums and the multiple, often seasonal, shocks they are exposed to (i.e., spikes in food prices, risks of floods and fires, health hazards), can quickly turn into a crisis requiring a humanitarian response. 

During this visit the IASC Deputies Group:

• Experienced living conditions of the urban poor, including migrants, and the risks, shocks and protection challenges they are exposed.
• Witnessed the catalytic role of youth-/women-led initiatives as agents of change.

The visit covered the Mathare Youth Centre that hosts a day care for disabled children, a community library, a creative platform for youth to connect and other programmes; the Futbol Mas project targeting school going youth with socio-sports sessions, women who are leading on a plastic recycling programme; and the Mathare River Regeneration Network at the Mathare Community Park.