Toward community-based architectural programming and development of inclusive learning environments in Nairobi’s slums

Recent international development efforts in Africa have promoted education as the key to helping children overcome poverty, improve their lives and change their communities. Mobilizing local governments to build safe, healthy, and environmentally sound educational institutions for African children, however, has proven difficult at best. This paper discusses problems involved in improving the conditions for education in Nairobi, Kenya, and describes the process undertaken by children in one inner-city slum to envision a safe, healthy school made of quality, inexpensive local materials and designed for the community’s unique environmental and social conditions. The purpose of the paper is to propose progressive, participatory ways to design, develop and deliver educational facilities in adverse environments, considering that the priorities of children, parents, local authorities, development agencies, and other groups often conflict.