The World of Kibera

Just finished reading Rye Barcott's new book, It Happened on the Way to War: a Marine's Path to Peace, and found it captivating. It brought Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, to life for me, as Barcott wrote about trying to balance his work there with his work in the Marine corps...making peace with the task of making war. 

For those of you who don't know, Rye Barcott was one of the founders of Carolina for Kibera, a non-profit begun in 2001 when Barcott was still a student at UNC/Chapel Hill, had received a fellowship to study in Africa and- intending to go to Rwanda- ended up in Kibera, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya.

Though i must confess to a lack of understanding Rye's dedication to the Marine corps and his seeing his serving in places like Somolia, Djibouti, and Iraq as part of his dedication to peace-making, i found myself fascinated by the way in which he linked his learnings and experiences everywhere he served to his work in Kibera. And his descriptions of that place brought it alive again for me, making me ever more certain of my decision to return there this summer. Places to go, people to see, things to learn...this is how i felt over and over again as i read this book, as it described realities and envisioned hope for the people in this place so far beyond the imaginings of most Americans.

Kibera is the home of the Nyanya Project preschool...the home of most of our grandmothers and their grandchildren, along with nearly 2 million other people. It is a place where homes are 10x10 shacks and kiriboto (bedbugs) prevail and running water and flush toilets are only dreamed-of luxuries...where famiies live on less than $1 a day...where hunger and malnourishment are the order of the day...where tribal unrest still raises its ugly head and where HIV/AIDS takes lives each and every day.

So why in the world, you might ask, so i want to return there? What draws me back to this dreadful-sounding place? It's the people... their courage, their determination, their willingness to work to make things better for their children and grandchildren. Perhaps Rye Barcott summed it up best in the closing lines of his book as he describes the buiding of what would become Tabitha Clinic, the largest, most modern medical clinic in Kibera, named for one of the founders of CFK who had herself died of AIDS-related complications. He is speaking with Salim, the young man who has been director of CFK's on-the-ground youth program in Kibera for 8 years:
 I turned to him (Salim). "Before she passed, Tabitha said, 'Don't quit pushing this thing.' We won't quit."
   "No, my brother, we won't." Salim placed his hand on my shoulder and looked into the community. There in the crisscrossing alleyways mamas balances jerricans of water on their heads; children kicked soccer balls made of plastic bags and twine; and men hauled bricks and mortat to what would become the largest clinic in Kibera. "We won't quit pushing because they won't."

Having been there, having come to know just a few of the people, having felt their spirit and courage and determination, i won't quit pushing, either...pushing myself and the Nyanya Project in our work, and pushing the rest of you to reach into you hearts and pockets to help with our work there. Visit the Nyanya Project website http://www.nyanyaproject.org/ to learn more and to make a contribution. There is much to be done...and you, YOU, can make a difference.