Kibera

Yesterday I visited Kibera, east Africa’s largest slum. It was by far the most life changing experience I’ve had here in Kenya. In the morning, my friend Rachel and I met up with Octo. Octo is a friend of ours who lives and works in Kibera. At 23, he has already managed to have a huge impact on his community, using his talent of performing to reach out to youth. His lyrics portray what life is like in the slums, where he has grown up for most of his life. Almost one million people live in Kibera, which has been nicknamed “chocolate city”. When you look upon Kibera from a distance usually then feeling you have is one of despair and sadness. Sure, poverty defines Kibera, but the feelings you have before you enter Kibera and the feelings you have after you visit change drastically. After three hours of walking with Octo throughout Kibera, visiting the different divisions of the large slum, and interacting with residents of Kibera, I felt like positivity and happiness was associated with Kibera as well. As Octo says you never have to leave Kibera for anything, everything is there for you. There is a government run school (although they still charge school fees and many can’t afford to send their children!), a medical clinic, and all different kinds of services. There is even a movie theatre, a small shack that plays movies on a small TV, charging 20 bob (about 25 cents) to watch a film. We visited a local bone jewellery shop and even hung out in his house for a while. He says that his house, which is about the size of my room at home is meant to be for 6 people. The people of Kibera, and especially the children, always seem to be joyful despite their circumstances. Although poverty and hardship have such a strong presence in Kibera and it’s a place where western standards of living simply do not exist people still manage to earn a living and to be a strong presence in the community and most especially within their families.