On April 13, the Peace Brigades International-Kenya Project posted, “WHRD Toolkit Organizers are supporting their communities to stay safe during the COVID-19 outbreak.”
They then introduce us to Victor, popularly known as V-slim, and note: “He goes door to door distributing water containers, food items. He also talks with the community on the importance of maintaining high standards of hygiene and social distancing.”
Water is a human right and especially essential during the pandemic.
The United Nations has posted an article titled Water access critical to beating back COVID-19 spread in slum areas.
It quotes Anna Nyokabi, a resident of the Kibera settlement in Nairobi, who says, “We don’t have enough water to drink and cook our food, so where will we get water to wash our hands frequently?”
That article also notes that 10 independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council say that, “People living in informal settlements … and all other groups vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic need to have continuous access to sufficient and affordable water.”
That illustrates how essential V-slim’s work is.
PBI-Kenya also highlights, “V-slim started his activism in 2012, driven by the desire to eradicate violations that were happening in his neighborhood including GBV, corruption and bad governance. He envisions a community where everyone enjoys equal rights.”