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Over 10,000 elderly people in Kibera face extreme vulnerability
Many survive on less than $1 a day
Social protection systems rarely reach them

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Central Research Question
How are older persons shaping their community while navigating aging, health care, memory, and community care in Kibera?
Logline
In Nairobi’s Kibera settlement, a community of older persons continues to shape their life, preserve collective memory, care for one another, and contribute to their community while navigating the realities of aging, health challenges, and social invisibility. Through intimate interactions of daily life, Seen & Unseen: Aging with Dignity reveals how growing old in one of Africa’s most dynamic urban communities is both a struggle and an act of resilience.

Key Themes
Aging in an Urban Informal Settlement
What does it mean to grow old in Kibera?
The film explores the physical, emotional, and social realities of aging within a densely populated informal settlement where access to healthcare, housing, and social protection remains limited.

Health Care and Well-being
The documentary examines how older persons manage chronic illness, mobility challenges, medication needs, and mental well-being.
Questions explored include:
● What happens to disabled older persons in the community?
● What happens when family support is limited?
● How does community care complement formal care systems?

FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION
For many older persons in Kibera, access to regular and nutritious meals remains a daily challenge. Limited income, rising food costs, declining physical ability, and the absence of family support often place elders at risk of hunger and malnutrition.
The film asks:
What does aging with dignity mean when access to food is uncertain?

Community Care and Mutual Support
At the heart of the film is the idea that care is collective.
The documentary follows:
● Home visits to bedridden elders
● Peer support among elderly members
● Volunteer caregivers
● Community networks that sustain older persons
The film asks:
What does dignity look like when care comes from the community itself?

Housing, Safety, and Aging in Informal Settlements
Growing old in an informal settlement presents unique challenges. Many elders live in fragile housing, face mobility barriers, and navigate unsafe environments not designed for aging populations.
The film investigates:
Housing insecurity among older residents.
Accessibility challenges.
Living alone in old age.
Community responses to elder vulnerability.
Through personal stories, the documentary reveals how the built environment shapes the aging experience. \

Social Inclusion, Visibility, and Belonging
This theme examines:
The visibility of older persons in community life.
Social isolation and loneliness.
Participation in community decision-making.
The importance of being seen, heard, and valued.
The documentary challenges viewers to consider:
Older persons are often excluded from public conversations about development, innovation, and the future of cities in urban slums. In Kibera, narratives frequently focus on youth. Elders often become socially invisible despite their continued contributions.
Intended Impact
● Increase visibility of older persons living in informal settlements
● Challenge stereotypes about aging and dependency
● Highlight community-based elder care models
● Advocate for dignified aging and elder rights
● Foster intergenerational understanding
● Encourage policymakers and development actors to include older persons in urban planning and social protection programs.