Life in Kibera
There’s no hiding it.
Kibera – one of Africa’s largest slums – is a filthy, depressed, impoverished and diseased place.
Only one square mile large, Kibera is home to more than 1 million people – 100,000 of whom are children orphaned by AIDS.
Families live on less than $100 a month – which has to stretch between $8 rent, clothing, food, healthcare and education. As many as eight family members will live in mud huts, smashed one next to the other and sharing walls, that are no larger than 10’X10’. This includes sleeping areas, a kitchen, living area and, if lucky, a place to go to the bathroom. Often times, however, residents go to the bathroom in a plastic bag and fling it out of the house into the streets.
Speaking of the streets: they’re not just lined with trash and human waste. They’re filled with them. The area has no official schools or playgrounds, so these streets become the place where children play all day, every day, since access to school is not an option for most. It’s not sanitary, and it’s not safe as many times the adults of the community are out of work, using drugs and alcohol and looking to take advantage of a child in some way.
We said it before: it’s depressing.
But there is hope.
Amidst the filth and despair, the people of Kibera have a hope that is greater than their circumstances. Rooted in their faith, this hope drives their belief that, through education, they will able to create a new life and journey out of the slums. Particularly, the parents in Kibera hold this hope high for their children.
Take it from these folks who have walked the streets of Kibera, shared a meal with the students and formed a different picture of Kibera than the one painted above.
"My most vivid memory is listening to cheerful children, who own little more than the clothes on their back, sing their favorite song, "I'm happy today, so HAPPY!" I was struck and awed by seeing those, who have one meal a day and no shoes, sing and shout about their content satisfaction with today. Their hope is bigger than material things and comfort. I want to be more like the sweet children of Kibera."
Allison, 26, visited Kibera July 2009
"I saw hope in Kibera through every smile from a child. The joy in their eyes was contagious. It amazed me how a child could be overflowing with true joy and show a smile from ear to ear in the midst of extreme poverty and despair."
Hattie, 16, visited Kibera July 2009
"I'll never know hope or faith like the people of Kibera. They know God more deeply than I do, trust him for more than I ever will and - from that relationship - gain a joy that fuels their hope."
Kristen, 27, visited Kibera July 2009