OUR VISION

Save the Slum Initiative (STSI), Nigeria

Driven by a simple but powerful belief: no one should be forgotten because of where they live. Across Nigeria’s slums and informal settlements, millions of people face daily challenges such as lack of clean water, safe sanitation, adequate shelter, quality education, and reliable healthcare. These conditions are not the result of personal choice, and they should never determine a person’s future. STSI exists to challenge this reality and to work toward a Nigeria where every individual, especially children, women, and young people, can live with dignity, hope, and purpose.

STSI views slum communities not as places of despair, but as vibrant spaces filled with resilience, creativity, and untapped potential. Within these communities are parents striving to support their families, young people eager to learn and contribute, and women who hold households and neighborhoods together under extremely difficult conditions. At the same time, STSI recognizes the harsh realities many residents face, including children missing school due to illness or poor sanitation, women and girls risking their safety in search of water or private toilets, families exposed to preventable diseases, and youth trapped in cycles of poverty with limited opportunities. The organization’s vision is rooted in the conviction that these realities can and must change.

STSI envisions a Nigeria where slum communities are healthy, with access to clean water, safe sanitation, and basic healthcare; safe, free from environmental hazards and preventable disease outbreaks; educated, where children can attend school regularly and learn in dignity; empowered, with residents equipped with skills, knowledge, and a voice in decisions that affect their lives; and included, recognized in urban development planning and social service delivery. Central to this vision is the belief that meaningful and lasting change happens when communities are partners in development, not passive beneficiaries.

This vision is translated into action through integrated, community-led programs implemented across Nigeria. STSI improves access to clean water, safe toilets, and hygiene education through WASH interventions; strengthens disease prevention, maternal health, and child wellbeing through health and nutrition programs; promotes school access, learning support, and safe environments through education and child protection initiatives; advances skills development, leadership, and livelihoods through youth and women empowerment programs; and amplifies the voices of slum residents through community advocacy in policy and planning spaces.

While the vision is long-term, STSI’s impact to date is tangible and measurable. The organization has reached more than 35 slum communities across urban and peri-urban Nigeria and supported over 18,000 individuals through WASH, health, and education interventions. More than 120 sanitation facilities have been constructed or rehabilitated, over 6,000 hygiene kits distributed to vulnerable households, and 30 schools supported with improved hygiene and learning conditions. In addition, more than 75 community volunteers and leaders have been trained, strengthening local ownership and sustainability, while thousands of residents have engaged in awareness, skills training, and advocacy activities. Behind each of these numbers is a real story of a family drinking safer water, a child staying in school, or a woman living with greater dignity.

What distinguishes STSI’s vision is its focus on lasting change rather than short-term solutions. The organization works with communities, not over them, prioritizes local leadership and ownership, invests in practical and affordable solutions that can be maintained locally, and places listening at the center of action. STSI believes that people living in slums are experts in their own lives, and its role is to support, strengthen, and walk alongside them.

Looking ahead, STSI is committed to expanding its reach to more than 100 slum communities across Nigeria, ensuring safe water and sanitation for tens of thousands of additional families, supporting children and youth with education and life-changing opportunities, and advocating for inclusive urban development that leaves no community behind. Despite the complexity of the challenges, STSI remains confident that meaningful change is possible, one community at a time. The organization’s promise is to continue standing with those who are often overlooked, amplifying their voices, and working tirelessly to build a Nigeria where where you live does not determine how well you live.