Exclusive: Connie Nielsen Heads to Africa With a Long-Term Agenda

1 of 5

Nielsen gets hands-on in the Kibera community

“I got to work with a lot of people who lived in the slum of Kibera while I was shooting Lost in Africa. Half of the crew and cast came from there. People and their problems become opaque to us when we don’t know them, but I got to know the people who live there. It struck me how similar we are. It’s not like these people did something that resulted in their living there. There are hundreds of thousands of people living in this slum, and it’s an endemic, ingrained system of poverty. These people are just like me and my family. They have the same needs and wants and aspirations.”

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Meeting With Guardians of Her Scholarship Students

“It struck me that we were going about it all wrong, the way we were thinking about helping these slums. We need to work on the infrastructure, not just temporary solutions. Problems lead to more problems. I realized that our idea —like bringing clean water to people—isn’t the only answer. Now, they put this clean water in a jar that is unwashed and has fecal matter in it. If you start with A, you have to say B, C, D, E and F too. People need life skills and tools. I realized that all these services—from education to access to tools, the Internet and credit—were what we needed to provide. We liken the lack of choices that this level of poverty imposes on a human to being in prison. They get in, but they can’t get out.”

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Huddling With the Road to Freedom Scholarship Students

“So how do we help? By creating access to health information, nutrition and education. A lot of these kids are growing up just eating a little bit of maize meal, which is called ugali. They need protein. We thought, wouldn’t it be swell if we figured out a $1-a-day program that delivered nutrition and also gave them access to local products? We figured out a way—[with the Human Needs Project]—to do that and change the culture, which is so exciting.”

Photo: Courtsy fo Connie Nielsen

An Afternoon of Door-to-Door Visits

“The people own their own services and pay for them as subscribers [through HNP]. But now they get integrated services like technology and have a cooperative. We are basically delivering access and sustainability. The response has been so enthusiastic. When I am there, I have all kinds of meetings with local manufacturers and people at the University of Nairobi. Last time I was there, I spoke at the UN of Nairobi and gave a presentation of what we are trying to do. I also walk house-to-house to ask people what they need and how their lives are. It’s all about fact-finding.”

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Community Activism Always Starts on the Streets

“There is a lot of sharing of information. I am always educating 25 community recruits about all of our technology and the values that our organization is based on, like personal accountability. The girls group will learn about electrical work and plumbing, instead of just administration. We need to build viable communities where everyone can contribute. There is such an amazing level of talent here.”

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Connie Nielsen hates waste. In 2010 she went to the slums of Nairobi to shoot the film Lost in Africa and decided to help out. “I was going to give $50,000 for a well, but I heard that it wouldn’t last more than a year,” says the Danish actress, who is now costarring in the new TV political drama Boss. “I’m tight [with my money], so I said, ‘No way.’ ” Instead, Nielsen undertook a bigger cause: Revamping the infrastructure of Kibera, Africa, with Human Needs Project, a community-based rehabilitation program for providing water and power to people in need. In the past year, she has visited Kibera and Kenya three times and set up a scholarship fund (Road to Freedom Scholarships) for 17 local girls to attend boarding schools. Apparently, a little frugality can go a long way. Here is a journal of Nielsen’s six-day September visit to Kibera.

Topics

Action + Impact, Connie Nielsen, Kibera, Lost in Africa, Human Needs Project, Road to freedom scholarships

Exclusive: Connie Nielsen Heads to Africa With a Long-Term Agenda

Nielsen gets hands-on in the Kibera community

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Meeting With Guardians of Her Scholarship Students

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Huddling With the Road to Freedom Scholarship Students

Photo: Courtsy fo Connie Nielsen

An Afternoon of Door-to-Door Visits

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Community Activism Always Starts on the Streets

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

TakePart Pics

Comments

Must Reads

Exclusive: Connie Nielsen Heads to Africa With a Long-Term Agenda

Nielsen gets hands-on in the Kibera community

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Meeting With Guardians of Her Scholarship Students

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Huddling With the Road to Freedom Scholarship Students

Photo: Courtsy fo Connie Nielsen

An Afternoon of Door-to-Door Visits

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

Community Activism Always Starts on the Streets

Photo: Courtesy of Connie Nielsen

TakePart Pics

Comments

Sign Up for TakePart Emails!

Must Reads

Related Stories