While Kibera is infamous simply by the number of people that live in such a small area (can be up to 1.5 million people in a 1 square mile area) and for all the development attention that it has received, it was a much less bleak picture of poverty than I have seen in some other places of the world (particularly Haiti).
Our professor prepped us with an important talk, which focused on the idea that our experience in Kibera would be primarily influenced by what we brought to it, rather than what Kibera actually is. It's an important distinction, otherwise we may have been overwhelmed by the level of poverty that we saw yesterday.
I decided, when I came to Kenya, that I would focus on seeing God and His goodness throughout my entire time here. In a context like Kibera, I especially wanted to be attune to God's goodness in a place where it may not be obvious for most. Poverty and the suffering it brings often seems to obscure any presence of God, let alone his goodness, but I prayed that God would show it to me.
And it's there. I saw it everywhere. The garbage, smells, holes in clothing, etc. became much less visible when I saw how happy so many of the people are--children and adults alike. Perhaps I could even call it joy? Laughter is everywhere. From the adults who were acting as our tour guides, to the school children and their teachers, laughter was always present. At the first school I visited, I could have focused on the state of the classroom and the shabby blackboard. But instead, I read what was written on the blackboard, "Laugh at your own risk." Laughter is so present all the time, the children have to actually be warned against it!
At the first school, some of the children entertained us with song, dance, and skits. They were so talented. A number of the jr. highers performed skits that they wrote themselves, and they were so funny that I cried I laughed so hard. My prof almost fell off his chair multiple times he was laughing so hard! One skit was a satire on the Pentecostal Church. It probably crossed the blasphemy line a couple times, but was so hilarious it didn't even matter. I only understood about half of the Swahili, but still caught the gest of most of it. You didn't even really need to understand any Swahili to still follow the jokes at the Pentecostal Church, but I suppose you would still need to be familiar with that particular church to follow that humor too. Which not everyone could :) However, it was interesting that the school was run by the Catholic Church, and the skit was directed at another church that is almost opposite in terms of liturgy. ha!
The second school inside Kibera was nothing short of a haven. Also run by the Catholic Church, it was beautiful, yet still completely appropriate. In fact, the school building almost looked like a treehouse and was built among existing trees! And it wasn't just me and my tree-house obsessed brain. Others thought that too. :) You could just feel goodness all around. The kindergartners were in the midst of nap time when we arrived and it was SO cute to see them all lined up like sardines on the nap mats.
Some of their students had qualified for the national choir competition and performed one of their songs for us. Nothing short of amazing! And once again, I could barely look past the boys smiles they were so brilliant. There is something called a performance smile, but this went far beyond that and anyone could tell that this activity gave the kids such absolute joy. Yet, as an informal school (rather than a formal, public school that is recognized by the goverment), the government refuses to provide them with any money and so the teachers are forced to come up with other ways to afford to send the kids to the competition in Western Kenya. Yet the idea of showing the kids green grass (of which there is none in Kibera) is enough to motivate the teachers to find the money. How, I don't really know.
As we walked in Kibera, most of my encounters, from glimpses to words exchanged, were so friendly! And the resourcefulness is amazing. There is a vibrant economy inside Kibera and shops line the railway line. I did not take the pictures below as I didn't feel it was appropriate to have my camera, but there are plenty of pics online which I nabbed. The health clinic that we visited, as a community based organization, is completely owned and run by community members. I was most impressed by the community toilet that they showed us. It was so nice and clean! They have four of them, but shared that it is not nearly enough. But how refreshing to see community members gathering resources and working together to provide good things for their community.
I think I came away from the day with two main feelings. First, awe for seeing God's goodness. Not only did I see it, but so many people I talked to within the schools also claimed it! When someone says they know that God is faithful and provides, who am I to say, "No! How could that be true? Just look at your living conditions!" I am sure there are those that do feel that way, and there must be depression and despair present in such conditions. But it doesn't have to be the dominant mindset and that is what I saw yesterday. It was beautiful. Secondly, frustration. At the government. The Kenyan government refuses to recognize, Kibera, along with other informal settlements. Therefore, the settlements do not have access to resources such as electricity, public schools, and sanitation. In terms of human rights, I consider this outright discrimination. So while it is beautiful that the church steps in and provides such basic rights like education, etc., the government should be providing these things because that is their job! With such enterprising and collaborative spirits within Kibera, I can't even imagine how much the residents would prosper if given these social-economic rights and services by the government. Why the government refuses to recognize Kibera, besides economic/financial reasons, I'm not sure. How could improving the lives of Kenyan citizens be bad for the government? Yeah, not sure either.
No comments:
Post a Comment