Leaving No One Behind: A Photovoice Case Study on Vulnerability and Wellbeing of Children Heading Households in Two Informal Settlements in Nairobi

Abstract

Children heading households (CHH) in urban informal settlements face specific vulnerabilities shaped by limitations on their opportunities and capabilities within the context of urban inequities, which affect their wellbeing. We implemented photovoice research with CHHs to explore the intersections between their vulnerabilities and the social and environmental context of Nairobi’s informal settlements. We enrolled and trained four CHHs living in two urban informal settlements—Korogocho and Viwandani—to utilise smartphones to take photos that reflected their experiences of marginalisation and what can be done to address their vulnerabilities. Further, we conducted in-depth interviews with eight more CHHs. We applied White’s wellbeing framework to analyse data. We observed intersections between the different dimensions of wellbeing, which caused the CHHs tremendous stress that affected their mental health, social interactions, school performance and attendance. Key experiences of marginalisation were lack of adequate food and nutrition, hazardous living conditions and stigma from peers due to the limited livelihood opportunities available to them. Despite the hardships, we documented resilience among CHH. Policy action is required to take action to intervene in the generational transfer of poverty, both to improve the life chances of CHHs who have inherited their parents’ marginalisation, and to prevent further transfer of vulnerabilities to their children. This calls for investing in CHHs’ capacity for sustaining livelihoods to support their current and future independence and wellbeing.

Voices and challenges of marginalized and vulnerable groups in urban informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya: building on a spectrum of community-based participatory research approaches

“…long-term dwellers who have lived in informal settlement settlements for over 10 years (8). While the Kenyan government has made efforts to reduce inequities in health outcomes at a national level, urban informal settlements and particularly vulnerable groups within them are being left behind (21). In Nairobi for example, many government initiatives to reduce health inequities do not effectively benefit the urban poor, despite their physical proximity to both public and private services (22)(23)(24).…”

“…Photos shared via WhatsApp™ were backed up in a password-protected cloud database. This process has been described in another publication (21).…”

“…Participants from all groups narrated how on how the built and physical environment including, housing conditions, drainage, road infrastructure, sanitation/toilets and solid waste disposal, impacted their health and wellbeing vulnerabilities. For example walkways with open drainages were occupational hazards for PWD, children heading households (21), and older adults, especially when it rained. Roads paved without pedestrian walkways and covered drainages also posed serious movement challenges for PWDs.…”

“…Our participants reported that children heading households and orphans faced severe challenges of malnutrition, lack of education, and were restricted from accessing basic services that require identification documents as most did not have a caregiver to take the responsibility. Children heading households had to fend for their families at the expense of education, even when education was subsidized by the government (21).…”

Pandemic Portraits—An Intersectional Analysis of the Experiences of People with Disabilities and Caregivers during COVID-19 in Bangladesh and Liberia

“…We prioritise the views of people with disabilities as co-researchers within the study as they documented their experiences and directed how they want their stories to be told through photovoice. Photovoice is a participatory method which has its roots in social justice and is often used with marginalised groups with varying literacy levels, from women's health in rural China (Wang and Burris 1997), children in informal settlements in Nairobi (Karuga et al 2022), to adults with intellectual disabilities (Povee et al 2014). By drawing on this method, and as guided by feminist epistemologies, we sought to challenge existing power hierarchies that are inherently embedded in western knowledge production, to centre the views and values of people with disabilities.…”