Missions to
Urban poor
Seminar Date:
1st January 2015
Location:
JKUAT College
Facilitator:
Francis Odhiambo
Contents

About poverty in Kenya

About the urban poor

Steps to consider

Our Story

Summary

Discussion plus Q & A
About poverty in Kenya

About 1% of Kenyans are considered rich or upper class (total
household income of shs500,000 and above)

About 6% of Kenyans considered middle class (shs40,000 to
500,000)

About 93% of Kenyans considered lower class and poor
◦ 43% make up working poor (sh10,000 – 40,000)
◦ 40% make up under employed, working only 2-3 days a week
◦ 10% make up destitute poor who are jobless and starving

Data according to survey conducted in 2014 by a leading
research company
About the Urban Poor

Between a third to a half of urban population in Kenya
live in poverty.

Nairobi alone has approx 2 million slum dwellers

Most of the poor live in rural areas but this is expected to
change in next 10 years with the current trend of
urbanization of poverty or the poor moving to urban

The rural poor believe they can make it in the urban
setting. An urban move is also viewed positively by the
rural even though few succeed
About the Urban Poor

The informal settlements are densely populated

Many unemployed or underemployed especially youth
and women

Lots of illegal activities just to survive or support family
including commercial sex work/stealing/corruption

Most are casual labourers, messengers, watchmen,
clerks, commercial sex workers etc

Neighbourhoods greatly distressed with many
vulnerabilities of health, pregnancies, alcohol & drugs
About the Urban Poor

Housing made of temporary materials e.g. mad, iron sheets or
timber

Owners of structures have quasi legal rights or no rights at all.

Most households occupy a single room

Water , sanitation, drainages, sewer systems non existent

Challenges accessing good medical care

Majority drop out of school in mid secondary hence low skills
level (others talented but poverty has made them struggle
even to have dreams)

Electricity not readily available but there are many illegal
connections
About the Urban Poor
Summary points

Life in the slums is a struggle

Poverty percentages in the country are very high and growing,
with most choosing the urban setting as a new place to settle

Despite their situation, their need for the gospel is real

God commanded us to remember the poor in Galatians 2:10

Leviticus 23:22 also reminds us to remember the poor

Deuteronomy 15:11 I command you to be open handed
towards the poor, there will always be poor in the land

Proverbs 19:17 If you are kind to the poor you are lending to the
lord
Steps to consider

Research on the community
◦ All slums are different; Have intention to learn;
◦ What are the stories of the community
 Story 1: Pregnant girl who could not take up education bursary
 Story 2: Commercial sex worker whose survival fear overrides
disease and dignity fears
 Slums upgrade beneficiaries who revert back to slums
◦ Record what the stories represent; new insights and
actions e.g. Poverty; vulnerability; lack of education;
churches; medical care; no employment; housing and
sanitation
Steps to consider

Re read the scriptures
◦ Take questions from the context to the
scriptures

Retelling their story
◦ The individuals should have a new story
of transformation
◦ Their stories shared are more powerful
than your inspirational stories
Steps to consider

Incarnation
◦ This is a deliberate choice to identify with poor. Desire
to enter for Christ’s sake into struggles of community
and be one of them
◦ Jesus took the form of servant and was revealed in
human flesh (Philippians 2:5-8)
◦ Christ’s incarnation is a model for Christian mission
◦ Jesus identified with the poor and oppressed
◦ To what level are you willing/able to incarnate into
the urban poor community to share the gospel?
Steps to consider

Incarnation
◦ Requires presence in a community; You are incarnational
when you communicate gospel from within the realities of a
given context
◦ If doing church plants
 Base Church building in the community rather than invite / shuttle
people outside of community
◦ If doing a short term project
 Link to a local church/group for continuity
◦ Some churches recommend an urban plunge ( a week in the
slums living as they live wholly) for their interns.
◦ Consider a pastor from within community than imported
Steps to consider

Incarnation has some dangers though
◦ Careful not to be viewed as a messianic
figure
◦ Tremendous suffering can overwhelm you
and bring despair to you
◦ You can also experience a crisis of faith.
 Story told of missionary who could not believe such
poverty existed when they visited and their faith
faltered
Steps to consider

Incarnation importance
◦ To be able to communicate
 Who God is
 Where God is today
 What does God require of us here and now
in our circumstance
Steps to consider

Social Analysis
◦ What has the church or you learnt from the community
through their stories and your incarnation
◦ Historical issues (how did kibera come about?) this helps as
you develop you ministry actions
◦ Identify the societal divisions you recognised. They will
impact your ministry so do not ignoring them (race /religion
/ethnicity/gender)
◦ What are the structures and values identified e.g.
Education, politics, business, church, cultural. What are the
major ones influencing the situation or your ministry work.
This can be dynamic from season to season
Steps to consider

Take context back to scripture and listen ...
◦ Spend time with God on best way to do ministry in
view of what you have learnt
◦ Trust Him to use and guide you on how He would like
to use you in the context...It is His work you are just
joining Him (read Experiencing God)
◦ Assess your spiritual gifts, they could be clear
indicators how you can be involved
◦ Be careful not to use all your energy to jump in yet
God has been waiting for you to ask how best should
you go about it
Steps to consider

Going it alone?
◦ Careful that you do not take a competition approach
with other workers of God
◦ For short term projects work with a local church or
mission group who can provide continuity
◦ Collaborate with other like minded organisations/
churches or individuals for certain ministry work
◦ Be the local outfit for the local and international
organisations that do not have enough grass root
knowledge or interest to implement
Our Story

We have three health clinic based in Riruta, Woodley
and Olympic in Kibera

Over the years we observed a trend that clearly showed
a cycle of poverty among the families that visited our
clinics

The challenges faced by parents 10 years ago are the
same for their children as they become parents

The cycle is expected to repeat itself through the next
generation; unless we do something
Our Story

We decided to focus on the areas of medical
care; employment opportunities generation;
spiritual nourishment

Above areas would holistically improve the well
being of our target group

Income would free them from dependency;
church would give them hope through Christ; and
medical care would provide a sound health for
any economic activity
Our Story

We have set up a HUB for the youth called YES HUB. Here they
come to fellowship with other, build their life skills and get jobs
and jobs trainings:
◦ Step 1: Incubation: A 10 week/session relationship building and getting
to know them
◦ Joint fellowship & discipleship conducted
◦ Work based life skills trainings conducted
◦ Step 2 Assignment: Youth are attached to jobs based on their
competencies and vacancies
◦
Some jobs are through companies we have set up e.g. Commercial
cleaning through YES Sparkles; Day care stewards ; nurse aids for the
palliative care business among others
Our Story

Step 3 Mentorship:
The youth are assigned mentors
◦ Help challenge them to new thinking
◦ Hold them accountable and reinforce the learning
◦ To walk with them into a new thinking of it is possible

Step 4 Graduation:
The youth are encouraged to
◦ Start own businesses with our support and connections
◦ Develop career paths through new jobs
◦ To provide pool of new discipleship resources
Summary

Research the community

Incarnation or some form of... & walk alongside; build relationships

Provide a hand up and not a hand out. Empowered and self sustainable
(not easy). Are solutions theirs or yours?

Beware of despair & be cautions with your expectations .
◦
Example of 2 churches planted in Kibera and Rongai by the same mother church.
Two years later Rongai has 800peple while kibera has 50people. Careful not to
compare, the journeys are different
◦

What you view as success may come long after you are gone
You may need God to work on you first before you work on the mission to
the poor.

Be careful to direct them to Christ, you are not the saviour, He is and the
transformation is His.
Thank You!