Visit to Kibera

Kibera is Sub Saharan Africa's largest slum. It is estimated that there are between 800,000 and 1.2 million people living there. It has no plumbing or sanitation. It has no system of garbage removal. All those people are living in one square mile. On one side of the square mile of tin roofs and garbage piles there is a golf course... where Nairobi's most wealthy swoon their clients. The other side is a row of beautiful new condos.

Kibera has become its own city inside of Nairobi. It has its own set of rules, its own business sector, and it operates on its own.

I had the opportunity to tour Kibera with an organization called KCYP (Kibera Community Youth Programme). The organization works to inspire youth in Kibera through their talents. There are projects for visual arts, audio recording, drama, and education.

We started by overlooking the community by standing on the railroad tracks to get a birds eye view. It really was startling. I couldn't believe the number of people crammed into such a small space without many of the things we call "necessities". The garbage lined the tracks as we walked further into the slum.

I was overwhelmed by the smell; burning garbage, rotting garbage, and human waste... quite a combination. I was also surprised by the children that were around... not in school. although there are many schools within the slum... they still require uniforms, books, and examination costs that many families just can afford.

As we walked through children yelled "MZUNGU!" (kiswahili for foreigner) at the top of the lungs to alert everyone that we were there. If you want a good idea of what it is like, watch the Constant Gardener movie... the representation of Kibera's youth is quite accurate.

There are many reasons why people end up in a place like Kibera, many of which I don't know if i will ever understand. Many come from the rural areas... they are farmers who are deeply affected by drought. They are no longer able to make a living in the dry rural areas and so they come to Kibera looking for opportunity. What they find is something quite different.

Although they are living in conditions that are far below what Canadians might deem as sanitary, safe, and acceptable, i was surprised that at the end of our tour, I was left with an overwhelming sense of hope. The people I met were working hard to spread their messages of love, community, safe sex... and many others through their music, artwork, and dramatic presentations.

Although the Kenyan government shows some concern for the conditions and growth of Kibera (there is no more land allotment... even though it is getting bigger in population), it does not seem to be a high priority. There are over 200 NGO's presently operating in Kibera...

i unfortunately have no answers for this community, but please feel free to visit the website of KCYP, or research on your own. www.kcyp.net