Sita Kimya - I will not stay silent.

To start off: There are no words to describe Kibera…anything I come up with will not help you to understand what it is truly like, unless you actually visit it. I don't really understand it at all, or can't even imagine what it  would be like to live there, especially since I have only been there for a day. 

My day today started like any other - wake up, get ready, eat breakfast (mangoes, bananas, papayas…they are in endless supply here). David came to our house, and Daisy and I headed with him on a matatu to Kibera, a direction I hadn't gone yet. Kibera is the biggest slum in all of Africa, and its where I will be working almost every day the rest of the summer. 

Some facts on Kibera:

-Area: about 1 square mile (almost the same size and shape as MIT's campus)

-Population: Estimates are from 250,000 to 1.2 million. Its probably closest to 450,000, although residents are very migratory so no one knows for sure. 

-Kibera has the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS (14% as compared to 7% in all of Kenya), highest prevalence of diarrhea in Kenya, and most other diseases. Sanitation is a huge problem, as is healthcare, nutrition, education, employment etc. 

-Average size of home: 10 x 10 feet

-Average daily income: $1.25

The matatu dropped us off at the entrance of the slum, because they won't even drive through it. We got off, and followed David to the Carolina for Kibera office where we will be working at (http://cfk.unc.edu/).  I guess the shock, confusion, sadness was apparent on my face the first few minutes we were in the slum because David asked me if I was scared - I wasn't scared…I'm not really sure what I was. We made it to CFK, met the amazing Kenyans who work there, and the two interns from the University of North Carolina who will be there for the summer. Two of the CFK employees then took us for a tour of the CFK programs throughout Kibera. We saw their Tabitha Clinic, a health clinic that is completely free for the residents, the recycling center (where locals make beautiful jewelry, utensils, bowls etc from cow bones - I am definitely going to buy some, and would love to buy a lot and sell it at home - let me know if your interested in it!) , and the Taka ni Pato center (Trash is Cash program - our focus). We then came back, went to lunch at a 'restaurant' called Ashura, and met with our team the rest of the day to write down our work plan. Ashura had really good food (chapati/chapo and beans for only 50 shillings = 60 cents). It was very different than a US restaurant - it was more like a cafeteria. You walked in, sat wherever, even if other people were already at the tables, ordered when the lady happened to walk by, and got your food on cafeteria trays. It was small enough that probably only 3 twin beds could fit in it, yet it was packed. There were chickens and cats walking around under the tables in it. Welcome to going out to eat, Kibera style. 

Now to describe Kibera…or at least attempt. People everywhere. Kids running around, standing outside of houses, outside of 'schools' in bright colored uniforms, all saying "hello, how are youuu? how are youuu?" when we walked by. People selling things outside of their houses (fruit, clothes (from our donation centers), shoes, food, welded products, grilled maize, other random products). The smell was unforgettable - a mixture of human waste and trash…luckily I started to get used to it. They have what they call "flying toilets" aka go to the bathroom wherever you can, or go in a bag, and throw it out your window (we were actually told to duck if something was flying out a window). And you could see it on the streets, in the ravines filled with waste and trash throughout the slum. Dogs and cats everywhere. Trash all over the streets. Before you freak out and think I am crazy for coming here…I also must describe the people.

The people who live there are beautiful. They are strong and courageous. They work so hard every day. They are trying the best they can to make a living with whatever skills they have. They are trying the best they can to take care of their children. The children were smiling, and gave the best high-fives I've ever felt. They broke my heart, have filled my prayers, and were revealing God's beauty ecstatically. They weren't complaining, didn't care that all they had to kick around was an old coconut. They hopped over the ravines like it was a game. They helped their mom carry things because it would have never crossed their mind to not help. 

I already can't wait to go back. To see the little girls and tell them they are beautiful. To tell those boys how strong and mighty they look as they run through the streets. To tell the moms they are the strongest woman I've ever seen, and encourage the dads to keep working, keep trying to support their families. I can't wait to understand them more, to be a bigger part of their lives. Good thing I have 8 more weeks to do it. 

Please pray for the people of Kibera with me. Pray for health and hope for them. Pray I can help them in some tangible way, and be a friend to them, rather than a wealthy American just passing through. I wish I could do something for them, change all of their lives some how - but as my host mum put it, you can't fix everything, so you have to remember they are God's children, you have to remember to pray for them, and you do as much as you can do. 

"Love is going to make it right. just hold on, hold on. There is mercy in the morning light. When your weak, He is strong".

My host parents have been awesome people to live with. Before we went to Kibera, they warned us that it would be hard to handle, that our heart would feel heavy. And last night before I went to bed, the entire family stopped what they were doing, turned off the tv, and my host dad prayed for Daisy and I. It was such a blessing to see that and see his trust in God!