Touched by Africa, Hollywood gives a little back

"With extreme poverty the sad thing is that despite however honorable chiefs and elders consider themselves to be, the sad truth is that there will almost inevitably be a sad drift of some of the money into individual pockets," he said.

The idea of a trust was born to avoid misuse of charitable donations.

So far the trust has built a school in Loiyangalani, sanitation facilities amid the squalor of Kibera, and is looking to beginning work in Turkana, a remote northern province that was also used as a setting for the film.

Channing-Williams has been approached by the team behind "The Last King of Scotland" for advice on dealing with charities in Uganda and is considering setting up a network for like-minded filmmakers.

Hemal Shah, of Nairobi-based Blue Sky Films which worked on "The Constant Gardener," says many foreign production crews see offering money to a community as a form of payment.

" 'The Constant Gardener' is very different in that they have not just dumped a load of money and then left. This is continuous," he says.

Which is good, because Kibera needs all the help it can get.

The unplanned settlement has almost nothing in the way of infrastructure.

Foul-smelling mud clogs a network of open sewers.

Women and girls risk rape if they step outside their mud-brick homes after dark.

And alcohol and glue provide ready escape routes for anyone who wants one.

Last weekend, a political demonstration ended in riots. Police shot dead four rioters and much of the slum remains off limits to outsiders.

Neto Agostinho, Kenya coordinator for The Constant Gardener Trust, points out a garbage heap next-door to a school where he has built three new sanitation facilities to replace an old, filth-encrusted lavatory.

Much of the dump is probably crammed with plastic bags filled with human waste, says Mr. Agostinho, wrinkling his nose. "It's filthy, disgusting," he says, adding that health problems are common.

So far the trust has built seven facilities throughout the slum. Kibera residents pay three shillings (about four cents) to use the toilet or shower. The money is used to keep the facilities clean, and any profit goes to a local management committee to use for the good of the community.

The trust also plans to start working with a women's group that collects discarded plastic bags and turns them into woven mats.

Not only will it help clean up the slum, but it also provides an income for 47 women struggling to care for their families.

But the work is only just starting, says Agostinho, as he outlines plans to support mobile clinics that will help doctors and nurses reach the very heart of this impoverished community.

Everywhere there are signs of the work still to be done.

A small boy squats on a rare piece of grass on the edge of the slum, his trousers around his ankles – a reminder that seven sanitation facilities are only a start to addressing Kibera's myriad needs.

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