A VOLUNTEER'S IMPRESSION

A couple of weeks in Kibera go by fast. The first time I stepped off Ngong Road and hopped on the #8 to one of Africa's largest slums, I knew that I would have to try and find a better word than "slum" to explain the bustling community in which I was about to volunteer. Knowing that Children of Kibera's mission is to improve access to quality education in the face of poverty, I expected to encounter certain scenes of hard living. Those were present. But there were so many things that a person would have no way to imagine until he or she actually spend some extended time here. Such as the organic logic of streets, dwellings, and shop stalls that sprout from need and opportunity rather than a formal planning exercise; the sensory goulash that results from metal being sautered, maize being roasted, matatus being washed and men being sweaty; or the pride that most Kiberans have for their slice of Nairobi, even as they acknowledge that many aspects of it need to get better. And then there are the children - not the capital "C" Children on the CofK letterhead, but the actual children - who attend Red Rose Primary School (or area high schools) as a result of the generosity of CofK sponsors and dedication of CofK staff. Have these children been swept into a bubble where the outside world disappears and everything is clean and copacetic? No. The challenges of Kibera are still everywhere. But in the care of passionate teachers whose classes are kept to a small size, the children are able to learn, play, and grow in ways that wouldn't otherwise be possible. These kids have energy. They support each other, they respect their teachers, and they ask lots of questions. When I first saw the classrooms I couldn't believe how basic they are. When I was in the third grade, a splintered chair or an invasion of ants or lack of central air conditioning would have been grounds for an uprising, if not early dismissal. As I recall, anything could be fashioned into an excuse to get out of working. Not only do these children not complain, they actually linger around school after classes are over. Indeed, I got the impression that Red Rose and the Children of Kibera offices (which occupy the same property as classrooms 4 and above) function as a second home for many of the children, and maybe even their favorite home. At the end of the day, I think this is Children of Kibera's simple but magic formula: space, place and consistency. I am very lucky that I was able to spend time with everyone involved. I hope that good word about CoFK will spread so that even more young people can have this opportunity in their lives.