Kenya’s Slum Fest aims to celebrate youth creativity and innovation during Global Entrepreneurship Week with a focus on urban slums. Given the high rate of youth unemployment and underemployment in Kenya, youth in urban slums remain as one the key groups of the population with challenges in accessing education and jobs.
Junior Achievement Kenya, the organizer of the festival, runs entrepreneurship programs in the slums throughout the year designed to unleash the entrepreneurial spirit and build on the financial capability of youth living there. Through this process, young people set up microenterprises enabling them to provide a decent income and living for their family.
Near the end of every year, through the auspices of GEW, Junior Achievement brings together young people of Kenya in a fun-filled extravaganza to showcase the ability of these young people and celebrate entrepreneurship. John Wali from Junior Achievement Kenya comments on their impact.
“We use this platform to encourage all other youth to consider entrepreneurship as a career choice," Wali said. "We have impacted over a thousand young people in urban slums and more than 20 enterprises have been established. This was made possible through a partnership with Kenya Commercial Bank, Citi Bank and Barclays Bank."
Other activities taking place during GEW in Kenya include a National Student Entrepreneurship Competition, a Financial Literacy Education Program and a National Universities Innovation Boot Camp. Startup Kenya, an initiative to map Kenya’s startup community will also be launched as part of the week.
[image courtesy Slum Film Festival]