I’m sitting in an air-conditioned internet café with a coke, ‘A Whole New World’ is playing and I’m looking out over Nairobi city – and it’s beautiful, but somehow it’s a shallow pleasure compared to hanging out with some of the incredible young people in Kibera.
There’s an N’Dubz song that Em and I listen to most days called ‘Love for ma slum’ – and it really does express how I feel about Kibera. It is such a privilege to be working with the people we are, and it is with a real joy that I board the 14-seater matatu, pumping out R’n’B and reggae, each morning to get going. I wrote last time about Sloam school – the children’s home and school where Emma was due to be working: it turns out I’m working there full time as well for now. From the first time I went to visit it I felt a real excitement about being there, and when it turned out there wasn’t that much for me to do at the other schools I jumped at the chance to work full-time in Sloam.
As I briefly described last time – Sloam functions as a home for the wonderful Bishop Stephen and his family, 72 orphans and a primary school. Bish was prompted to start the home and school in 1992 when a number of people from his church congregation died, leaving behind six children. He has since started a primary school with 461 students, a secondary school with 69 and runs a micro-finance programme. The classrooms may be cramped – with children squeezing behind desks which are packed tight into classrooms – but the kids really do make the best of it and have such a hunger to learn. As the government does not fund slum schools, the students pay KSH4,000 per term - about £30. This is significant money in Kibera and many children are going without an education. All students must pay to attend secondary school – and in two years there will be no free primary education for anyone: certainly the Kenyan government is taking no advice from New Labour’s ‘Education, education, education’!
Every day Emma and I get off the matatu and sit on a rock catching some rays until a few of the boys from the school meet us to walk us through the slum. Though I feel chilled out walking through Kibera – we have had to recognise that crime is a big issue and two white girls walking alone would attract a lot of attention. The sound of reggae and little children shouting ‘How are you fine how are you fine’, jumping over rivers of sewage, trying not to tread on dogs sleeping in the middle of the street and pigs nosing through piles of rubbish: ah how I love our walks to the school!
We’ve got involved in a number of different things at Sloam– from teaching, to cooking, to administration: I’ve been helping Bish with some paperwork for a microfinance business he’s set up for Kibera residents – it’s complicated but it’s made my economics module this year worthwhile. But my days, I actually can’t describe how I love the wonderful kids and young people here: they mostly speak good English and so I’ve really felt able to talk with them on the same level. It breaks my heart every day though thinking about what will happen to them once they graduate from primary school: I was teaching Standard 8 (the 14-16year olds) English this morning and had a great chat with them afterwards – but it breaks my heart that once they’ve finished this year they have so few options open to them. The lucky ones will get sponsored through secondary school or find a job, but there are no guarantees for the others – there’s a big problem in Kibera with alcohol abuse, simply because people cannot afford education and cannot find jobs. What is so hard is that these kids are so intelligent, perceptive, funny and have so much potential: they work hard because they want to learn yet are given no opportunities that in England so many young people abuse or take for granted. (If anyone reading this fancies sponsoring a kid through secondary school – about £110 per year – send me an email at bexwiles@hotmail.com or text me on +254717511175).
The most surreal thing happened this week – one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Nairobi had raised some money for a charity that supports Sloam, so this coach of boys in blazers, ties and smart shoes turned up to have a look around. They were aged 15-17 and it upset me a bit top think that these smartly dressed boys had grown up about a mile away from the young people I’ve grown to love at Sloam – yet had so many more opportunities. The inequality between Nairobians and Kibera residents is I.N.S.A.N.E. Indeed, we were invited out by three friends of Sabina’s last Saturday night – a very successful businessman, an architect for the president and a very famous DJ in East Africa – and I have to say it was one of the strangest experiences of my life. Wearing my oldest jeans, a t-shirt from Primark and the same shoes I’ve been walking round the slum in, we were treated like VIPs – walking straight into Nairobi’s top nightclubs: where the elite party, and drinks cost the same as paying for a night in our hostel. As we were dancing I couldn’t help but look down at my scruffy converse - covered in mud - and think about how the cost of one round of drinks would feed all the orphans in Sloam. It was a fun night and Sabina’s friends were incredibly generous to us – but it’s not an experience I want to repeat any time soon.
So when we’re not working it really is a laugh a minute with Emma: I am so chuffed to be with her – she’s got so stuck into everything and is brilliant at the school. We’ve started Swahili l
essons – which is ace, and we’re so loving the local food. Oh my days we’re so Kenyan! :-) It's been awesome - as last weekend there was a massive rugby seven's tournament in Nairobi and the Zimbabwe team stayed in our hostel: I got to know one of the coaches quite well.
If anyone fancies sending anything for the school in the way of calculators, stationary, textbooks etc… I can’t emphasise the impact they’ll have! In fact – our biggest struggle is trying to teach when the class only has three textbooks: very hard when you’re trying to do a comprehension! Also – at the moment Bish has no money to give the 72 kids in the home breakfast – so they have to last until 1:30pm for their maize lunch. I worked out that it would cost £150 to give them all breakfast for a month. If anyone has something to spare we would be eternally grateful. I appreciate that I ask for a lot: but as I’ve learnt from my Kenyan friends – closed mouths don’t get fed. Thank you everyone for your support – I hope you’re all well and enjoying the summer!
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