Repudiation has for long hunted the settlement of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya. Although famous for being Africa‟s biggest slum, no official numbers have been published over its population, the Kenyan government has resisted to recognize it and aid organizations have been accused of getting profit out of it. Due to the absence of a local government, numerous international and national NGOs have taken over the place.

These were the advising words from Marlene Gamez, a Mexican secular volunteer of the Guadalupe Missionaries in Kenya. She has been working for the past three years in a development project with the women of Kibera. Marlene invited us to know her work, to look at newly constructed buildings, and to meet her colleagues. It must have been a hard task for her to keep an eye on the ten mzungus  behind her – visible target – while not loosing notion of time and direction, as we had to get out of Kibera before dark. There is a considerable amount of literature related to the functions played by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the African continent; from applauses to critiques. Some scholars consider that the global south in general is being “swept” by them (Shepherd, 1996). These tricky entities to study, due to their rapid increase, their impact in international relations, their diverse functions and goals, and their complex way of establishing networks with other actors. (Fisher, 1997). The term Non-Governmental Organization, is also a matter of debate. However, due to limits of time and space, this article will use term NGO based on the concept given by Edwards and Hulmes (1995:15): “intermediary organizations engaged in funding or offering other forms of support to communities and other organizations.” A whole book could be dedicated to classify and examine these organizations, which is not the purpose of this article.