The Other Side of Nairobi

We have spent the past few days learning about the other side of
Nairobi. The side that tourists don't usually see and the rich try to
turn a blind eye to. Over half of the population of the city of
Nairobi live in slums, which translates into approximately 1.5 to 2
million people. Unbelievably the slums themselves only cover 5% of the
land area of the city, so you can imagine the population density in
these places. People are practically living on top of each other.

Our first visit to the other side of Nairobi was to Kibera, which is
the largest in slum in East Africa and one of the largest on the
continent. Kibera covers approximately 2 square KMs and is situated on
government land. This means that nobody in Kibera can own property and
everyone lives under the threat of eviction. The exact population of
Kibera is not known. We heard estimates as high as 1.5 million people,
but more likely it is about one million.

Kibera is the largest but by no accounts the only slum in Nairobi. All
together there are 66 slums in the city. Other well-known slums
include Mathare and Korogocho. Slum populations have grown rapidly
over the past decade and continue to increase as a result of rapid
urbanization in East Africa. Its hard to imagine the living conditions
in the rural areas being worse than slums, but for many that seems to
be the case.

Perhaps our biggest surprise visiting Kibera was that there is large
socioeconomic gradient inside the slum. People are better off on the
outskirts of Kibera than those living in the middle. Many of the
people living on the outskirts have low-paying or irregular jobs and
walk back and forth to downtown every day. There are a large number of
shops and services catering to this group; and there is also hope.
Almost everyone we bumped into in these areas way happy and smiling.
They are trying hard to escape the slum.

Closer to the centre of Kibera the scene changes. Open sewers are
everywhere and people are living in absolute squalor. There is a
general feeling of helplessness. People don't have jobs and most exist
on less than $1 a day. They live so close to the edge that even a
small hardship would push them over the edge. Just walking through
these areas was hard. The smell makes you want to retch and you feel
completely unclean after spending only a few hours there. It was
overwhelming.

Our host for the Kibera visit was a young man named Sandi who
works/volunteers for the Kibera Community Youth Program. The
organization was founded about 3 years ago to help young people in the
slum build a better life. Most of the projects sponsored by the
program focus on self-improvement, like self-education and skills
development for young adults, but they also help offset costs for
nutritional food. Like many small grassroots projects, there is no
formal funding for the organization and they rely on the generosity of
small doners, like us, who visit them. We were impressed with the
group and what they were trying to accomplish. The most exciting
project from our perspective was to set up an internet learning
centre. To do this, the organization needs about 7-10 used laptops and
an internet connection. They figure that they can use 3 or 4 of the
laptops to set up a basic internet cafe, which would pay for the
internet connection and electricity.

Susan also joined our Wildebeest Camp host, Lynita, and her friend
Marion on a visit to the Shepherd's Orphanage Centre in the Kayole
slum. There are many orphanages in the city that are run as profit
making enterprises. Owners get money from the government and most of
it doesn't go to the children. This one was different.

A very caring man named Lusweti started the centre five years ago and
does not have any government support. Well, they do get a couple of
bags of maize every year. The orphanage (think tin shacks) was put
together under a major power line. Basically, they are squatting on
power company land and could be forced to move at any time. However,
they don't have to pay any rent. They do not have any outside support
and rely solely on donations of food, clothing, and money. They get
by on very little. There are 49 children ranging in age from 2 to 16
that live in the small compound. The majority of the children are
orphans whose parents died of AIDS, however there are some that were
abandoned or who ran away (e.g., mother was a prostitute). The
children all call Lusweti, Dad. There are also three women volunteers
who cook and help take care of the children.

Susan was immediately impressed by Lusweti's sincerity and all that he
is trying to do for the children. Thanks to the support from Marion's
donors in the Netherlands, all of the children have uniforms and
attend school. A child cannot attend school in Kenya without a school
uniform. Uniforms cost about 700 shillings (approximately $15). Many
children in the slums only have a uniform and no other clothing. Yes,
this is free education in Kenya.

Susan spent the next four hours talking to the children and seeing where
they live. There are two dorms - one for the boys and one for the
girls. They have latrine toilets and all take bucket baths. There is
no running water or electricity. When it rains the entire yard floods
and they usually have to move into only one section of the compound.
A tiny area is used to cook ungali (a porridge like mixture made from
maize). All of the children are very proud that they go to school and
they are so smart. These were probably the warmest and most polite
children we have ever met. They didn't ask for a thing and wanted to
know all about Canada. The little ones just wanted a hug.

Lynita was doing the tour to find out if the orphanage would be
something that she could funnel some of her great energy toward. We
visited Kibera through the Wildebeest Camp and she was seeing if
something could be set up for visitors to volunteer at the orphanage.
All kinds of options were discussed, including sponsoring a child.
The biggest thing on the wish list for the orphanage is to have their
own land so they don't have to worry about being kicked out. Susan
found out that they need the equivalent of $5,000 to do this. Seems
so small to some of us and so beyond their reach. They also
appreciate any clothing for the children, shoes, and other small
things. Susan found out that many of the girls miss a week of school
each month because they cannot afford to buy sanitary pads for them.

Our trips to the slums were a real eye opener. There is terrible
poverty, but we expected this. However it is one thing to sit in Canada and
discuss it and quite another to see and experience it. It certainly
made us want to get more involved, but what project to choose?

After discussing the pros and cons, we decided to support the
orphanage. We cannot change the world, but we do have the power to
improve the lives of 49 children. So don't be surprised if we hit you up for a little help when we get back to Canada.