Arts for F.R.E.E.

The project Arts for F.R.E.E.- Fostering Resilience, Education and Empowerment of street youths and children from Nairobi through music and arts, carried out by GRT, an Italian NGO, aims to promote the social inclusion of vulnerable youth through music, which is a starting point for the psycho-social integration of homeless children in Waithaka.

The background of the members of the Slum Drummers, ex-street kids, their enthusiasm and musical talent make them ideal messengers to sensitize not only other young people but also the community concerning the social problems which characterize slum life.

The project has two main objectives: reinforcing the psycho-social, musical and managerial capacities of the Slum Drummers as agents of active socio-cultural transformation, and creating efficient protective mechanisms for the vulnerable children of Waithaka, involving the community and the authorities through advocacy and sensitization.

Activities include the realization of training workshops for the Slum Drummers conducted by a professional percussionist, the construction of percussive instruments with recycled materials and the sale of these instruments in local artisanal markets.

Social interventions include the identification and elaboration of plans to recuperate vulnerable children, counseling, psycho-social training, family and community mediation for family re-insertion, medical referral and the supply of basic necessities, always stressing the involvement of the local community.