Kibera’s children: Striving for success

While many people know that Kibera is a large slum located in East Africa, most remain unaware of the vibrant personality, strength, and unique culture that is housed within. As an American college student, I’ve been very lucky to have the opportunity to visit Kibera twice and learn from the people who live there.  Sometimes I wonder how I ever made it to Kibera.  How did my mom’s offer to send me to Kenya with my high school history teacher in 2007 turn into a love of Kibera and the people I have met there?  Since that first trip, I have been fortunate enough to get an ‘insiders’ perspective of life in Kibera through my work with the Children of Kibera Foundation and I am continually impressed with the power education has to uplift and improve children’s lives. 

The infrastructure within Kibera is unlike anything I have ever experienced or could have even imagined. In 2009, the Kenyan Population and Housing Census reported that around 200,000 people were living in Kibera, an area roughly the size of central park in New York, but some have estimated the number to be in the millions.  In a place where concrete and brick buildings are a luxury, most houses are patched together with corrugated steel, tree limbs, mud, and whatever else is available.  The roads in Kibera remind me of a maze; the paths wind around in a way that made me wonder again and again if we would ever reach our destination. 

There are no street signs, yet locals easily navigate the different areas of Kibera.  I, on the other hand, was completely lost and turned around trying to get anywhere.  Advertisements for companies such as Coca-Cola and Barclays are painted onto the walls of buildings and fences.  Small streams of raw sewage are visible almost anywhere along with the trash that litters the ground. 

Even though the people of Kibera struggle every day with crime, hunger, extreme poverty, and cramped living conditions there is still potential to thrive.  However, these unfortunate realities make it is essential that the children of Kibera are guided towards success at a young age. The Children of Kibera Foundation works to create opportunities for these young people by providing scholarships and college workshops, setting up computer labs, collecting donations, and building a strong support network to help the children reach their highest academic potential.   Kenya’s education system starts ranking children based on their performance during their first years of school, forcing the youth of Kibera to decide early on if they want to use their education as a tool for success.  From an American perspective, this seems harsh and unrealistic.  I remember kindergarten as a time when I could play house, enjoy computer games, and color picture books. For children in Kenya, the strict system means that early support and encouragement can alter the course of their lives. 

While in Kibera this summer, I assisted a teacher with her second grade class as they covered everything from fractions to reading comprehension, all in English.  I can’t imagine an American school would ever ask their students to do the same in a foreign language.  Despite the challenging coursework, the children are excited to come to school every day and see their friends, learn, strive for success, and do what they can to improve their circumstances.  I was amazed how early they became aware of the fact that success in the classroom could determine their futures.  Even seven-year-olds seem to know that obtaining an education can get you out of Kibera.

In the children’s book ‘If you Give a Mouse a Cookie’ the narrator describes a young mouse who is given a cookie but then wants milk, a straw, etc., all to further his cookie eating experience.  In Kibera, if you give a kid a scholarship they’ll probably want to be in the top of their class, set their sights on college, and work to give back to their community.I know this to be true because I’ve spent time with many talented, silly, energetic, and dedicated youth in Kibera and I know that the potential is there. Foto © Kibera Children Foundation.