•Martin is the third child in a family of 4 children. He lives with his widowed mother and his three brothers in one room mud house in Kibera slum. His mother is the sole provider.

•Martin’s mother is HIV positive and his father passed away because of  HIV/AIDS related illnesses. His mother does temporary work, like washing clothes in the slum, but the income is hardly enough to meet the family’s needs. Temporary jobs are difficult to find and when you do, there is stiff competition for the few available opportunities. 

•His mother says raising her three children is a challenge since living expenses out pace the little income she earns. The family can hardly afford food and sometimes they go hungry. Paying rent is another problem and on several occasions the family has had to sleep on the street because they were unable to pay their rent. Even still, the roof leaks and when it rains run-off finds its way into their house but they just can’t afford to find another place to live.