Kenya’s Kibera Slum Empowers Residents by Exchanging Plastic Waste for Water and Sanitation Services

Kenya’s Kibera Slum Empowers Residents by Exchanging Plastic Waste for Water and Sanitation Services
——————————————–
In Kibera, Nairobi’s largest informal settlement, access to clean water and sanitation has long been a challenge, with many residents paying exorbitant prices controlled by informal vendors, Arab News reported. The Human Needs Project (HNP) is changing this by allowing residents to exchange collected plastic waste for “green points,” which they can redeem for essential services such as clean water, toilets, showers, and menstrual hygiene facilities.

Eighty-five-year-old Molly Aluoch, who has lived in Kibera for over three decades, relies on the project to access hygienic toilets and bathrooms that were previously unaffordable for her. By collecting recyclable plastics, she earns green points that replace costly fees, freeing up money for other necessities like food for her grandchildren.

Since its inception in 2015, HNP has served around 800 residents daily, distributing over 50 million liters of water and facilitating more than one million uses of sanitation facilities. The project also addresses Kibera’s growing plastic waste problem, with local women playing a key role in collection efforts.

With ten water points drawing from a borehole supplying half a million liters daily, HNP helps shield residents from exploitative water prices while improving health and dignity across the community.