What Mukuru Slums Development Projects does

Mukuru Slums Development Projects (MSDP) is a Kenyan non-governmental organization, founded in 2002 as seven Community Based Organizations and formally registered as an NGO on 15 March 2006, headquartered inside the Mukuru informal settlement in Nairobi. The organization delivers a holistic portfolio of social and economic empowerment programs targeting vulnerable populations in Mukuru, including street-connected children, teenage mothers, GBV survivors, out-of-school children, women, youth, caregivers, and people with disabilities. Core offerings include the MESO multi-dimensional initiative (2025–2028), the DALMA TVET and digital employability program (consortium with AICCAD and Technical University of Kenya), the Decid'Her GBV response project (with the French Embassy), the Mukuru Skills Training Centre (MUST) providing 6–12 month vocational courses with an attached daycare, the Halfway House rescue and reintegration center for street-connected children, the Teenage Mothers Program, Economic Inclusion savings-and-grants activities, Community Dialogue Forums, and a Climate Change Adaptation program with a 5-year 100% Green Energy transition plan. MSDP has reached 20,000+ project participants across more than two decades of operations with a team of 29 staff. There is no proprietary technology product; program delivery is community-based, with light use of web platforms and apps within DALMA for employability skills. The organization is funded almost entirely by international development donors and government partners — including DKA Austria, Medicor Foundation, Horizont 3000, the French Embassy, LVCT Health, the European Union, German Cooperation (BMZ), KfW Development Bank, the African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, and SIFA — and is developing small social enterprises (catering and hall hire) for incremental earned income. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries.

Name

Mukuru Slums Development Projects

Legal name

Mukuru Slums Development Projects

Website

https://mukuruprojects.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mukuru Slums Development Projects is a Kenyan NGO founded in 2002 that delivers social and economic empowerment programs to vulnerable children, women, youth, GBV survivors, and people with disabilities inside the Mukuru informal settlement of Nairobi, funded primarily by international development donors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development & Social Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Rural Livelihoods & Economic Empowerment (BPAGABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Protection, Child Protection & Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Response (BPAGAAAG), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC), Infrastructure, Housing & Community Development (BPAGABAL)

Keywords

• Community development programs
• Vocational skills training
• Child protection services
• Informal settlement support
• Gender-based violence response

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mukuru Slums Development Projects (MSDP) is a Kenyan non-governmental organization that delivers social and economic empowerment programs for vulnerable populations living in the Mukuru informal settlement of Nairobi. Its offerings span vocational and technical training (via MUST), child protection and rescue (Halfway House), gender-based violence response (Decid'Her), economic inclusion (savings groups and micro-enterprise), teenage mother support, climate adaptation, and multi-year donor-funded initiatives such as MESO and DALMA. Services are provided free of charge to beneficiaries, with revenue derived from international donor grants and partnerships.

Product overview

Mukuru Slums Development Projects (MSDP) is a Kenyan NGO offering a comprehensive portfolio of social and economic empowerment programs targeting vulnerable populations in Mukuru informal settlements. The core programs include MESO (a multi-dimensional initiative addressing child protection, education, livelihoods, and climate action), DALMA (vocational skills training with digital employment platforms), and MUST (technical/vocational training institute). Supporting initiatives include the Teenage Mothers Program, Halfway House rescue center, Decid'Her (GBV response), Economic Inclusion programs, and Climate Change Adaptation efforts. The organization operates holistically, integrating protection, education, economic empowerment, and advocacy to serve children, women, youth, and caregivers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MUST (Mukuru Skills Training Centre): Technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship training institute offering courses in catering, beauty therapy, hairdressing, dressmaking, plumbing, masonry, and computer skills
• MESO (Mukuru Economic and Social Opportunities for the Most Vulnerable)
• DALMA (Daraja La Mafanikio - Bridge to Success)
• Decid'Her
• Halfway House

Products and services

• MESO (Mukuru Economic and Social Opportunities for the Most Vulnerable) A three-year multi-dimensional initiative for vulnerable populations in Mukuru informal settlement, addressing child protection, education access, sustainable livelihoods, environmental consciousness, and community participation in policy dialogue, delivered in partnership with DKA Austria, Medicor Foundation, and Horizont 3000.
• DALMA (Daraja La Mafanikio – Bridge to Success) A skills and employability project that empowers TVET graduates from informal settlements through digital tools and employability skills, delivered with AICCAD and the Technical University of Kenya and supported by SIFA, the African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, the European Union, German Cooperation (BMZ), and KfW.
• Decid'Her A project focused on improving access to psychological and economic services for survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and women at risk in Mukuru slums, while cultivating an environment that advocates for change against harmful social norms, delivered in collaboration with the French Embassy in Kenya.
• Mukuru Skills Training Centre (MUST) A technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship training institute offering 6 or 12-month courses in catering and hotel management, beauty therapy, hairdressing, dressmaking, plumbing and masonry, and computer packages, aimed at empowering informal-settlement students for the labor market.
• Teenage Mothers Program A program supporting teenage mothers with life skills education, mental health and reproductive health education, peer education, economic empowerment activities, and assistance with income generation, currently serving 57 teenage girls with monthly sessions and counseling.
• Daycare Facility at MUST An on-site daycare service at Mukuru Skills Training Centre providing care for children aged 0–3 years from Mukuru's informal settlements, enabling young mothers enrolled in TVET courses to attend training while their children receive nurturing care.
• Halfway House (Child Protection and Rescue Centre) A residential rescue and rehabilitation center for street-connected children implementing the 4R approach (Rescue, Rehabilitation, Reintegration, Referrals), with tailored psychosocial support, basic education tutorials, and reintegration planning for out-of-school and street-connected children.
• FERN (Flood Emergency Response Nairobi) An emergency response and resilience project addressing flood emergencies in Mukuru, focused on long-term solutions for water management and community resilience in the informal settlement.
• Economic Inclusion Programs Programs focused on formation and monitoring of savings groups and self-help groups, financial literacy training, business start-up training and grants, and income-generating activities for youth and caregivers in Mukuru.
• Climate Change Adaptation Program Environmental sustainability initiatives including climate change adaptation analysis across all projects, a 5-year plan to transition to 100% Green Energy, and community tree planting initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20,000+ project participants served across various programs
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• DKA Austria (Dreikönigsaktion der Katholischen Jungschar)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025Long-term strategic partner supporting MESO project (July 2025-June 2028) and implementing Child Safeguarding Training programs. Led by Bishop Stephen, DKA Austria conducts field visits to engage with youth and understand program impact. They organize collaborative training with multiple Kenya partner organizations including Childline Kenya, Newlife Mwangaza, MPC, Rescue Dada Centre, and others.
• Medicor FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic funding partner for the MESO project focused on improving living conditions for vulnerable populations in Mukuru informal settlements.
• Horizont 3000coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for MESO project providing development cooperation support and capacity building opportunities for MSDP's organizational growth.
• Africa Inland Child and Community Agency for Development (AICCAD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner for the DALMA (Bridge to Success) project in collaboration with Technical University of Kenya, focusing on TVET training for vulnerable youth.
• Technical University of Kenya (TUK)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for DALMA project providing curriculum development, exam coordination through NITA, and supporting vocational skills training for youth in Kibera and Mukuru.
• Skills Initiative for Africa (SIFA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinental partner supporting DALMA project with funding and programmatic guidance for youth employment and vocational training across Africa.
• African UnionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinental governance body partner for DALMA project, providing institutional backing and facilitating dissemination of best practices at continental level.
• AUDA-NEPADmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment agency partner for DALMA project supporting implementation and sharing lessons learned at national, regional, and continental levels.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Childline Kenya: National child protection helpline and case-management organization in Kenya; listed as a DKA Austria training partner alongside MSDP. Comparable on child safeguarding, GBV response and referral pathways for vulnerable children.
• Nyumbani: Kenyan NGO serving orphaned and vulnerable children, including programs supporting children in informal settlements near Nairobi. Comparable on child protection, education, and community-based care models.
• Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO): Kenyan NGO operating in Kibera and other informal settlements with a similarly holistic model spanning education, health, economic empowerment, water/sanitation, and child protection. Direct counterpart in scope, geography, and beneficiary profile.
• Africa Inland Child and Community Agency for Development (AICCAD): Kenyan NGO focused on child and community development, co-implementing DALMA with MSDP. Comparable on TVET/vocational training for vulnerable youth in informal settlements.
• LVCT Health: Kenyan health-focused NGO addressing HIV, GBV, and SRH in informal settlements; an MSDP funding partner since 2020. Overlaps directly on GBV case management and community health programming for slum populations.
• Carolina for Kibera: Community-based organization working in Kibera on youth leadership, health, and economic development. Directly comparable as a long-tenured, grassroots Nairobi informal-settlement NGO with similar rights-based and youth-empowerment orientation.
• Rescue Dada Centre: Kenyan child rescue and rehabilitation organization named alongside MSDP in DKA Austria child safeguarding collaborations. Directly comparable on the Halfway House model of rescue and reintegration of street-connected children.

Emerging players

• Kidogo Early Childhood Development: Kenyan social enterprise providing quality, affordable early childhood care in low-income areas including Mukuru-adjacent communities. Closely comparable on the daycare-plus-maternal-economic-empowerment model that MSDP operates at MUST.

Broad incumbents

• Plan International Kenya: Large international child-rights organization operating across Kenya on education, child protection, and adolescent empowerment in marginalized communities. Comparable on rights-based programming for children, teenage mothers, and GBV survivors.
• Concern Worldwide Kenya: Large international humanitarian NGO operating across Kenya; a former major MSDP funder in 2010. Comparable as a wider-portfolio implementer of livelihoods, education, and emergency programming targeting the same populations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mukuru-slums-development-projects

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Mukuru Slums Development Projects