SOWETO YOUTH GROUP
Soweto Youth Group is a youth initiative that was started in the year 2000 in Soweto East which is one of the 11 villages in Kibera. It was registered with the Ministry of home affairs, heritage and Sports in the department of social services in the year 2003 as a Community Based Organization (CBO). Since then, the group has had a certificate of incorporation and a constitution.
Objectives
The objectives of Soweto Youth group are:
- Environmental sanitation
- Creation of Income Generating Activities (IGAs)
- HIV and awareness creation and stigmatization reduction
- Sports and theatre
- Welfare
Soweto youth group and waste management
With support from both the Ford Foundation and the UN Habitat, the Soweto youth group is in the process of developing a garbage collection project that will be run as an income generating activity for the members.
Currently garbage collection and clean up exercises are in progress. This is done through door to door collections. The youth give waste bags to households which they collect once a week for a fee.
This project will involve the following activities:
- Capacity building of the youths on solid waste management, entrepreneurship, occupational health and first aid.
- Construction of receptacles, which will enable the youth group to recycle plastics from the village as well as from other estates at their environs.
- Composting of biodegradable waste, which in collaboration with other youth groups in this business, will produce organic fertilizer. With the help of the Kenya agricultural research institute, the compost will be value added so as to sell to the farmers.
- Establishment of a resource centre with computers and access to internet.