Membership: FAFU membership brings on board child care providers and centers within the slum, making its decisions and program more participatory and relevant on the actual needs of the slum child.
Diversity of programs: FAFU has diverse programs that cater to the varied needs of children in different age brackets.
Centeredness in Christ: Our mission is driven by Christ-like compassion. This is expected to attract compassionate volunteers to give their free Christian service to the children in the slum. We draw our value from the Bible.
Networking with Child Development Centers: FAFU works closely with other child development centers that are strategically located across the slum with different approaches to child development, making it easier to address the diverse issues of children in the slum.
Strategic Location: The location of the FAFU Resource Centre at the heart of the Kibera slum makes it easily accessible and practical for slum residents. This gives FAFU the opportunity to initiate myriad program based on the needs of the slum children.
FAFU has in place a Board of directors comprising of individual members with diverse professional background
FAFU OPPORTUNITIES
Over the next five years, there are a number of potential opportunities open to FAFU for extending its services in the field of child development. The opportunities include the following:
An establishment Early Childhood Development Centre in the slum.
Lack of research and documentation of issues affecting children in Kibera gives FAFU the opportunity to undertake research and documentation on the same.
Lack of recreational programs for the children in Kibera gives FAFU the opportunity to develop the same for the benefit of the slum children in Kibera.
Huge population of needy children in the slum.
The training needs for the existing and emerging childcare providers in Kibera.
Expansion and scaling up of FAFU network to other slums in Nairobi.
FAFU WEAKNESSES
Some of the blocks likely to hinder realization of FAFU’s vision include
Inadequate start-up funds for planned program activities and any subsequent inconsistent funding for programs.
Inability to attract and retain professional staff due to low financial base for remuneration.
Constraining work environment. Work in the slum that lacks even the minimum basic necessities is challenging, and the needs of the slum community can be overwhelming.
Inadequate research and information on the issues facing children in the slum.
The Kibera slum is government land, and occupants have no official allocation documents. This may hinder any serious development on the land.
THREATS
Political instability and security concern: The informal settlement of Kibera is a politically sensitive area, given its multiethnic nature and population density that attracts politicians. At times, it has suffered political violence, especially during electioneering period. For instance, the post election violence that followed the 2007 general elections.
Adverse economic factors: Economic dynamics— including inflationary trends, unemployment, and free market economy—erode the purchasing power of the already poor slum residents, making it increasingly difficult for prospective parents or guardians to have disposable income for even subsided school fees
Social environment: In accessibility within the slums hinders easy delivery and movement of goods and services to various program areas.
Technology changes: Rapid change in technology may renders FAFU program equipments obsolete thus necessitating additional expenditure.Uncontrolled access to information/internet contents corrupts the morals of the youth which goes against the ideas of FAFU thus lowers the participation of FAFU youth in the programs.
