Our Focus

What are informal settlements?

Informal Settlements are defined by common deprivations associated with living within them.  Such as:

  • Residential areas where the inhabitants have no security of tenure on the land or dwellings they inhabit.

  • The structures are often unsafe or in hazardous environments

  • Often lack basic services (water, sanitation, and hygiene), and the

  • Residents often live in overcrowded conditions.

How do these urban environments impact young women?

Young girls are disproportionately impacted in informal settlements, with one of the most significant threats being gender-based violence (GBV). Young women face much discrimination in poor urban environments based on age and socially constructed gendered expectations, adding to their marginalization and socio-economic and spatial deprivations. These factors often give girls the least agency in their family structures and profoundly impact their health, well-being, and personal advancement.

Impact on young women in Nairobi living in informal settlements by the numbers

  • 1 in 3 girls ages 11-15 have experienced at least one form of gender-based violence.

  • 9% of girls aged 15-17 have given birth.

  • 45% of girls aged 18-20 have given birth.

  • 57% of girls 15-19 years old attend school.

  • Unemployment for ages 15-19 years old is 43%.