A lot of inspiration in a small package

This is Craig Davis and his mom, Berta.

Momma Craig lives in Kibera with her five children, this adorable one here being the smallest. Her second youngest daughter attended The Red Rose School and is now going on to higher grade levels at a public school in Kibera. When I met them on Friday, one of the first things Berta told me within seconds of meeting her is that she is "positive" but that Craig Davis and her other daughter are both "negative." It took me a second to process this information since you wouldn't usually expect this kind of candid disclosure of someone's HIV status, especially in a culture where it remains a very taboo topic. Berta went on further to state that she takes ARVs twice every day so that she can remain strong and live for her children. You can see in the corner of the picture some of the jewelry that she makes and sells to support her family. She also told me that she works in her community to support other HIV positive persons who need encouragment and support to keep going and face their status. So many of Kibera's residents face this challenge, among others, but at the same time, so many are clearly willing to confront their obstacles and find ways to overcome these hurdles. Meeting wonderful and inspiring people like this really makes me want to see our project and others run by COKF succeed and keep on providing the enabling environment for people to thrive.

It was a slightly slow week as we waited for the computer room at Kibra Academy to be finished up and prepared for this week, including important security risks that we do not want to take for granted with such valuable items. Myself and the other interns are really happy to be starting classes tomorrow morning and getting to meet the students we will be working with for the next 5 weeks. I think we all feel a bit nervous, but sure we can make a big impact in these classes getting the students excited about learning. Here are some shots of the new computer room being completed this past week:


Interns Tim, James and Karima are shown in this last picture. We will update again soon with our progress in starting classes at Kibra!