Mathare is one of the biggest slums in Africa.
With a vast population of people from diverse culture and ethnicities.
Over 70% of the people live under a dollar a day.
Majority of the youth are unemployed.
Growing up as a youth in Mathare was one of the most difficult moments of my life
and most of my peers used to involve themselves in criminal activity.
And because I used to spend my time with them, I found myslef being driven into that crime life.
Our parents had given up on us and our neighbours had given up on us because we didn't want to change.
During that time, we actually learned the hard way.
The darkest part of my life is before I discovered photography.
The safe space in my community that was created by MindMe international
has been of so much value to me and the peers of my community and also the community at large.
And for me, the thing I love most about the safe space is that it introduce me to photography.
Miraisha had equipment and access to that equipment helped us develop the interest.
The favourite part of photography that I love is when I go to the field and see moments that strike me
and I just want to capture them instantly because there is more life in giving than taking
and photography realized that because there is so much that it made me give to my community than take
unlike my past life that took so much from me and took so many lives of the people that I love the most
My life before I joined the programme was hard
I used to sell clothes for me to survive and to help me raise my daughter.
I couldn't afford a lot but the little I made is what I survived on.
That made me feel angry because I had never seen myself raising my kid in such a situation.
And everytime I looked at her, I wanted to give her more, which I couldn't because nobody gave me opportunities.
I came about Miraisha through an organization at the ghetto.
When I selected for the Miraisha progremme, for me it was a life changing moment.
From the iron sheet houses in Mathare, I was able to afford a one bedroomed house.
The programme came with me giving my daughter a better life.
It really changed me. I became outspoken, I became strong, confident,
I can sit among people and they'll be like: This is Stacy and she wants to speak.
That did not happen before.
I see myself as a star.
Somebody somewhere appreciated my work and that's what keeps me going in the programme
because they love what I do and they believed in me when no one did.
Growing up in Mathare, I used to gamble and I had my luck.
I used to win a lot so that used to me my source of income when I was like really young.
My skills in gambling actually just came out of nowhere.
It was thrilling to outwit other people especially older boys.
A friend introduced me to the safe space and that is where I got Canon Miraisha.
So they were basically training young youths like me how to take pictures.
When I first held the camera which I was given by Canon Miraisha, it was such a great feeling
I was so scared to like operate it, it was just too much.
At that moment it was just a feeling that I was like how could they even trust me with this equipment,
So it was a feeling that I could not explain.
My journey to becoming a Canon certified trainer was really interesting.
Canon saw potential in me and they told me that they think I can make a really good trainer.
So they enrolled me in this opportunity so I got to travel outside Kenya for the first time.
And also I am so proud to myself because I was able to win two awards.
I am not just making stories to win awards, I am making stories so that people can feel
that this guy is trying to make change and he is actually making change.
The impact that the Canon Miraisha training programme has brought to the community is massive.
And there are many beautiful stories like mine.
My name is Maxwell Odhiambo.
My name is Monica Stacy Adhiambo.
My name is Anthony Mugendi Mwaura.