Since the foundation of Tangaza College in .1986 a growing number of students and lecturers have been involved in ministry in Nairobi slums and shonty-towns. From 13 to 15 November 2001, the Tangaza Justice and Peace Commission, in collaboration with the Institute of Social Ministry held a forum entitled "The Slums: a Pastoral Challenge". This issue of Tangaza Occasional Papers contains the papers presented in the three-day session.
Throughout the forum the experiences of pastoral workers and slum dwellers merged, particularly those of women, youth and children. On the first day pastoral workers shared their experiences of ministry of the grassroots. The focus of the second day wos anthropological and theological reflections on the phenomenon of the slums and on the significance of a caring church presence. On the final day the forum concentrated on the chollenges the existence of the slums presents to Tangaza College as a Catholic institution for ministerial training.
The editors hope that Tangaza Occasional Papers No. 14 will contribute to the church's solidarity with the slums phenomenon, deepen our awareness, and mobilize further initiatives to change the slums for the better.