Life is n't easy in Kibera , one of Africa 's largest slums . About one million people live in this sprawling settlement in Nairobi , Kenya 's capital , with limited access to electricity , running water and other basic infrastructure services . Getting by here demands a rugged resilience from Kibera 's inhabitants -- a willingness to help their neighbors , and group together in times of need . But the everyday challenges of life here have n't been a barrier to local people expressing themselves . The slum is also home to the Kibera Film School , which gives local creative talent the opportunity to tell stories about their world to a broader audience . To understand their stories , you first have to understand the conditions they live in . Ronald Omondi , a Kibera resident and film-maker who captures the street life of these poor neighborhoods in his movies , has offered me a tour of the settlement to give an insight into some of the challenges faced here . Kibera began more than a century ago as an informal settlement in the forests outside Nairobi , where the British colonial authorities gave allocations of land to Sudanese Nubian soldiers returning from service with the King 's African Rifles . From these small , forested plots , a vast settlement has sprung in an haphazard , unplanned way , leaving residents without access to fresh running water in their homes . `` The pipes that supply clean water to the slums are broken , '' says Omondi . Instead , the locals have rigged pipes to the city water supply . They collect water rations in containers wherever they can find it : From overflowing dams during the rainy season , as well as burst pipes . `` When pipes burst like this , some get ( it ) free and some are paying for it , '' says Omondi . Read also : Urban rebirth : Johannesburg shakes off crime-ridden past . A similar approach is taken to bring electricity into homes , with residents rigging up their own unofficial connections to city power lines to power their homes . Because the inhabitants of Kibera are among Nairobi 's poorest , the goods in its markets are sold at very low price points . Cigarettes are sold singly , and most of the clothes for sale are second-hand : A pair of used jeans can be bought for about $ 2 . Homes are built of a mixture of concrete , mud and wood , often by the labor of locals pitching in to help each other . There are no toilets inside . `` People come together because they like helping each other , '' says Omondi . `` Some decide to build a house because ( there 's ) no employment around . '' Some of those underemployed residents are finding an outlet through the Kibera Film School . The school was founded by American film-maker Nathan Collett , who came to Nairobi in 2006 to research African storytelling . In collaboration with locals , he made a short film , `` Kibera Kid , '' which went on to win a number of international awards . He subsequently launched a non-profit to start the Kibera Film School in 2009 , with the aim of providing local people a chance to tell their stories through film , and gain the skills to work in the local film and television industries . Read also : Messi leads African literacy bid . Omondi once made a living selling CDs while he studied electrical installation at a local technical institute , before he heard about the opportunity to train at the school . `` I realized I have a lot of talent in camera work and filming , and that 's when I applied , '' he said . Having discovered his passion for film-making , Omondi has made a number of projects -- documentaries about schools , commercials , and a feature film on the gangster scene . And today , he has returned to the school to teach photography . `` I feel like I want to use this talent to give back to the community , '' he says . Many other graduates have gone on to successful careers in the industry . `` They found the right way , and the right channel to follow , '' he said . `` Most of them are working in big companies with ( in the ) film production industries . '' He said the school was `` transforming lives of people living in slums ... How they think and want their thoughts to be seen visually . '' As for him ? `` I think it 's changing my life , '' he said . `` I see big changes . ''
Kibera , in Nairobi , Kenya is one of Africa 's biggest urban slums . A million people live there with limited access to water , electricity and other services . But the settlement is also home to a film school , giving locals the chance to express themselves . Many go on to careers in the local film and television industry .