Street smarts is a Community Based Organisation (CBO) based in Kayole, Nairobi County. It was founded in 2014 as an association under the stewardship of USK to serve people living and working in the streets. The founder members, who were living in the streets, underwent a process of transformation to improve their lives through capacity building. The association has since evolved to be an organisation running its programs independently and was registered formally in 2021. Some of the members have moved on and continue with their lives independently with their families.
Those members who have overcome the challenges successfully, and moved on, continue to oversee recruitment, mentorship and coaching of other vulnerable youths who reside in under-resourced informal (slum) settlements, besides other in the streets. A recent conversation with the group leader in the month of August 2022 revealed the organisation continues to explore ways of sustenance especially fundraising from local communities with an aim of running a youth training program. They currently support 3 Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) to access education and also have 5 vulnerable street connected women that they support in the form of cash and food baskets.
Streets smarts were disengaged from our Association project in February 2022. Disengagement is the last stage in our Association Model where USK delinks from the associations after they successfully attain independence and are able to navigate through life challenges without support. We have since linked Street-smart to one of our other projects that champions the Village Savings and Loaning Association (VSLA) model to continue building their capacity towards financial independence.
