The history and vision of TAPA

TAPA was registered with the Kenyan government in September 2007 by Johnson Migwi. Johnson has an MBA from Oxford Brooks University in the UK and is supported by a six-person Kenyan Board of Trustees.

TAPA seeks to address the plight of orphaned and vulnerable children parents and caregivers (some living with HIV/AIDS) who lack life’s basic necessities for survival. TAPA is based on the understanding that human life is precious and that everyone has the right to live a dignified life as God intended. TAPA therefore exists to bring hope to the destitute living in the slums by providing means for them to access education, food, medical care and creating business opportunities.

Why is TAPA needed

By UNICEF’s estimation, Kenya has about 2.4 million AIDS orphans, the majority of them living in slums where HIV/AIDS is prevalent. Due to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, these orphans are often abandoned with no food, clothing, or social and psychological support. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, was ratified by Kenya in 1990, and yet thousands of children go without their basic needs for care and education being met. TAPA project is located in the Kibera slum, which is one of the largest informal settlements in Africa. It has a population of approximately 1,000,000 with a density of 3000 people per hectare. The population in Kibera is growing at a high rate and currently stands slightly above 80,000 people per year.

The communities in this slum live in abject poverty with limited or no access to basic facilities, and little or no employment opportunities. This results in poor health, a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, inadequate shelter, poor infrastructure, drug abuse, school dropouts, lack of business growth and generally poor living conditions. In the Kibera slum are thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children roaming in its dirty alleys unattended, and exposed to the danger of adults who would want to take advantage of their innocence and vulnerability. As they grow, they are faced with the challenge of feeding themselves, with some shouldering the burden of taking care of their siblings. To make ends meet, some of them get involved in promiscuity ending up with early unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Research has shown that about 60% of all new HIV infections in Africa are occurring among young people aged 10 – 24 years. Girls may engage in prostitution as the only way to get their food and shelter needs met, while boys involve themselves with petty crimes to feed themselves and if they survive this life, may end up in prison or in a life of crime. TAPA seeks to provide a hopeful future for some of the smallest children in this community.