Kibera Visit

Kibera sewage runs by the school - NEED THREE BRIDGES

Kibera, when I first came to Kenya, was intimidating and often scary. It still is a bit overwhelming but I grew to feel more comfortable with each visit. It has been for me, the symbol of the poverty and corruption that touches so many Kenyans. But for every glaring pair of eyes and hard faces, there are also welcoming voices, mostly children, inviting you to come into Kibera, to touch their hands, to speak English to them. But . . . when it rains, it is crap, literally. Today we slid through the alleyways, me trying to keep my balance as we traveled up and down slimy paths past dripping iron sheets on the roofs, past smelly kiosks and make-shift latrines. We went to the school we are hoping to work with and take some measurements for repairs. The roof needs to be replaced and there needs to be a new cement floor to replace the mud. There also needs to be three small foot bridged installed which lead to three classroom doors. We went with a fundi (builder) we have worked with before. I could see the price going up with every muddy climb, every slippery step. We will need to purchase iron sheets and timber, have them trucked to a certain point and then carried by hand to the site. The alleys are narrow, steep and slippery. The same will need to be done with the desks we will have built – carried through the back alleys by parents – hopefully. I am home now, in need of a shower and a bucket to soak my jeans and shoes!