Fredrick Ochieng

My name is Fredrick Ochieng. I was born in August 24 1993, i live at a place called Babadogo in the slums of Mathare which is the second largest and poorest slums in the world and is a few kilometres from the capital city Nairobi. My family name Ochieng means born at noon. I live with my younger brother who is only 10 after the death of my mother who was only our bread winner.
I joined MYSA in 1998 as a football player and fully participated in its yearly leagues. Later i was trained as a coach of which i was able to handle teams aging 14 years and below till now that i coach Babadogo Stars youths club. I also been involved in MYSA projects like Environment and got much interest in MYSA Shootback.
I joined Shootback lately in 2005. This was as a result of it was to help me achieve my interests and carier which is becoming a great Photojournalist Artworker. Here in Shootback im seing my dreams coming true. This project has provided me with skills and right exposures.
Since joining Shootback i got a chance of involving in publishing books like Millennium Development Goals(MDG's) in the year 2006, Hakuna Matata in 2007 alongside allot of exhibitions.
With the skill installed to me via Shootback i am know instructing other kids from different parts of the slum on Basic Photography.
Which has been my a great achievement. I also managed to win a certificate of excellence with the Adobe Youth Voices which was an international photography competition.
My great ambition is to use pictures and articles alongside film to change the life in the slum through creating awareness to the people living in my neighborhood.

By Fredrick Ochieng 17

LIFE IN THE SLUM

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
This is the major crisis affecting most of the people in Kenya and mostly those living in the slums. Pollution is the introduction of substances that affect the environment negatively or positively. Pollution is rampant due to lack of awareness on conservation process.
Poor disposal of sewage materials, domestic wastes, chemical, into the land, air and water pollutes it. This leads to outbreak of dangerous diseases like cholera, skin disease and the burning of them emits gases like carbon monoxide and other dangerous gases into the air that create a lot of difficulties in breathing system and disease like TB, typhoid or even heart failure.
Most of the rivers here are not in usable state because of pollution. The rivers are polluted by the emitting of wastes in liquid form to the water with high chemical conservation. Some sewage are directly connected to the rivers and human activities like the disposal of garbage directly into the rivers.
I myself think this issue can be easily controlled by following right procedures on the environmental conservation measures.



WATER SCARCITY

Kibera is the second largest slum in the world. The houses here are crowded to certain a larger population of the people living under poverty and the rise of rural to urban migration. Due to the concentration of houses at a point, this does not allow for good water network system and hence people suffer from lack of water
Water is an essential commodity to human and hence can’t do without it. The residence here men women and children are forced to walk a distance in search of which is always scarce. Places with clean water from taps are sold at Kshs 5 per every 20litres. For those who can’t purchase strive along the street of the ghetto to allocate leaking tap to fetch water for use.
The rivers here can’t provide water for domestic use due to their population. Polluted by the submission of dangerous chemicals from factories damped garbage and the sewage connections direct to the rivers.

By Fredrick Ochieng

THE CRY OF THE INNOCENT

Something really troubles me from the bottom of my heart whenever I express my emotions and feelings towards these mere victims of HIV/AIDS and those living in Poverty.
It was neither mission nor my will for disaster to conquer our families leaving young children orphaned and who later find their way to the Streets Of The Ghetto wondering all over at least to find something to sustain their basic needs like food, shelter which they hardly find.
Many are the times I nurtured suicidal deaths when I watched these young children wearing ragged clothes and almost half naked struggling for themselves in order to put a meal on their stomach. Truly! A misfortune never comes and it does, it’s occasionally.
It was late in the evening when I popped into the streets and got many of the street children at a place they termed as a base. Oh! It was unbelievable and suddenly a salty fluid ran over my checks, the air within their abode was dusty and full of stench of rubbish. When I entered into a tiny polythene room where they used to spend their nights and the blankets were clinking with water and the flour was wet such that no Creature could admire to sleep in such a place, not even a pig. I gave them pieces of advice as they looked at me despairingly with empty stomach. I wished I had the capability to assist them but unfortunately it was contrary.
The answers they gave me on their life:
We spend most of our time at dump sites where they are in search of the food remains and scrap metals that they sell to scrap dealers to get some little amount that they use it to buy glue that they usually take glue just to forget their past and what they go through, horribly it’s a pity. The scraps and recycled plastics cost KHS.13 A Kilogram.
I urge Parents and leaders to assist in getting rid of this traumatic disease which leaves our dreams and goals reduce into ashes and we children grow responsible and wanted people in the future..

By Fredrick Ochieng

EDUCATION

Education in today’s society is very important key element. They say that education is the key to success and to a better life their after. We have seen a lot of prominent persons emerging in today’s society because of good education. Let us look take a wider look in girl’s education mostly in African developing countries. Girls in most communities were not supposed to go to school but instead remain at home taking care of all the domestic duties.

Currently thing are advancing and there are some observable changes as girls are now given chances to school and the full access. This has produced ion ladies in our societies who are of a great assistance in the development of our society and the country as a whole.

The Kenyan government has played a major role of introducing free primary education which has greatly given the girls greater opportunities in school. But there are so many questions still to be answered. Mostly you find that classes with pupils sitting on the floor with only one teacher. Will they really learn anything when the classes are congested? What about when the girls finish their primary school. Are their any chances for them in high school particularly the girls in the slums?

Let us look at area s like Kajiado where female genital mutilation is still practiced. You get that a young girl is circumcised and then after a few days she is married to an old man. What I am trying to emphasize is that the government should at least go to areas where girls are bound by culture and empower them. Show them the real need of education by building school in those areas. If they do that the girls would have a better world to live in.

By Michael Maina
Shootback