Children living in urban slums face many problems like domestic violence, drug abuse, and poor schools that erode their motivation to succeed. They do not have positive role models who achieved success through education. The author uses art and drama with children to help give them confidence and a voice. Through performances of plays written and performed by the children about issues in their communities, it starts discussions on how to enact positive change. The author believes this approach helps develop the children's confidence and courage to face obstacles, and that focusing on community needs in practical grassroots ways can have deep, long-lasting impacts.

1. Art, drama an role models - Talking to people's talents within their
communities
Children and youth living in urban slums face many problems that follow them to their
adult lives. When they grow up close to domestic violence, drug abuse and bad
schools, their motivation to succeed becomes eroded bit by bit and they don´t grow
up with the personal and social tools to function productively. So these children end
up in crime, idleness, prostitution and alcoholism because they don´t see role models
around who succeeded through education, they don´t have the positive influences to
encourage them into sport and creativity. There are many international organisations
in the slums that provide free education, healthcare and vocational training but why
don´t the young people take full advantage of these? Children in richer homes get
support to succeed from family, school teachers, sport coaches and the expectations
of society for them to make something of themselves. With little of this support,
children and youth from the slums have very little chance of becoming good teachers,
lawyers, sportswomen, engineers and so on. The solution in my view is to get these
children when they are young, before the cycle starts. And we use art!
I have been working with children in drama for about 8 years now and every time I
meet a group I want to start working with, the same trend repeats itself. We always
start by meeting the kids and talking to them about their dreams for the future, the
things they would like to change in school, at home and around their
neighbourhoods. These children learn in classrooms with an average of 50 children
where it is impossible to have an interactive experience and so they don´t easily
come up and speak about what they think and feel. After a few weeks of art and
drama exercises in our weekend sessions, they become confident to speak about
things they would not normally say in public; ´How come we have to pay to go to
school and in the newspapers we are told it´s free? Do I really have to go to school
for all these years when no one from here gets a good job. Why should people vote
when the politicians don´t speak for us?´
These questions are the basis for the performances we show around the city, played
by the children themselves. The results on the children and the audience have been
amazing. Since last year, we have been telling the story of a child living in a home
where the mother makes illegal alcohol and sells it in the house- a very common
story in the Kawangware slum. The play explores how this affects the children and
society and we have discussions with the community afterwards on how things can
change. On stage, the people from the area see a story they normally keep hidden.
They see it told in a non- judgemental way. They see it played by their own children.
The discussion starts on stage and goes home, to school and to the streets. This
year we also added scenes about politics, campaigns and the process of democracy.
The harsh reality is seen in a funny way because the children see it like this.
We can´t overstate the importance of art and drama in the lives of children,
particularly when they use it to speak about what affects them everyday and how
they want things to change. These young people become more confident and
courageous to face more obstacles when they begin by showing up in front of an
audience. Development should look strongly at what both sides can offer. Our drama

2. group has a perspective from the slums that is rarely told in public and greatly
benefits the children. We would like to see more groups working in small practical
ways that don´t need funding to survive and also focus on the needs of the
community. Statistics show that these are the projects that run the longest and have
the deepest impact.
How do we uplift the poor at ´Maisha Yangu´? We talk to their talents within their
communities
Boyd Oyier
Founder and Director
Maisha Yangu