This is a five-part video series featuring joint efforts made by Chinese and African individuals and institutions in seeking common progress in fields such as education, medical services and wildlife protection.

Mathare is tangled, under-serviced collection of slums home to 500000 people in Nairobi, Kenya. Like their peers everywhere, the children here love life. They’re artists, dancers, musicians, footballers-they are young achievers. But they face serious challenges, including a lack of proper classrooms.

That’s way the Dream Building Service Association, an NGO based in Mathare that was founded by five young Chinese men, helped to build three small schools in this community. These much-needed facilities now have a combined enrollment of 1000 students.