I visited Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, on our last day in Kenya. An estimated 1,000,000 people share 1 square mile of land. That’s about the size of Central Park in New York City.
We began our visit to Kibera at Carolina for Kibera, an NGO started by a University of North Carolina student in 2001. We met with staff and peer educators to hear about the various programs they offer to the people of Kibera. All of the programs sounded incredible, but the two that struck me most were the Youth Sports Program and Trash for Cash.
After the initial meeting, a few of us piled into the back of a pickup truck and huddled close to a few of Kibera’s youth to ride through the slum. Every 50 feet we drove, we were greeted by a new group of young people yelling “Mzungu, how are you?” (White person, how are you?). Our Kenyan driving partners found this quite funny and it just got more adorable every time for us.
Upon arriving at the first location, we were met by a large group of young Kibera residents, rakes in hand. This group was participating in the Trash is Cash program, which creates jobs for several youth groups that collect trash, recycling and composting what they can. For a while, we just watched. Young men were standing on both sides of a channel full of dirty water and trash. In perfect sync, they raked the trash down the seemingly never-ending stream.
As we stood on a narrow ledge watching, a man would walk by with two five-gallon buckets full of human feces for disposal. This, alone, was enough to make us gag. We didn’t have too much time to sit and watch because within minutes we were given rakes and joined the boys in the work.
I’m having a very difficult time describing this experience. Somehow, I found it one of the most beautiful of the trip. After only 20 minutes of raking, my limbs were on fire and my back was sore. I had pieces of sewage and trash all over my body. This was one of the most extraordinary situations I’d ever been in, and that is what made it so beautiful. What seemed so extraordinary and unbelievable to me was that this was the norm for these boys. They don’t know a world where you take your trash out every Sunday and wake up to an empty bin. Immersing myself in their world, only for 20 minutes, was powerful and emotional.
I would give anything to be back in Kibera right now, alongside young men who were never given the option of luxury. We see this scene as a display of incredible work ethic and resiliency — but to them, this is life.
I finally saw giraffes! We spent the last two days in Lake Nakuru National Park enjoying the Kenyan scenery and wildlife. As we pulled into the park, we saw a large group of children sitting in the grass looking at a few monkeys playing around a few feet away. They appeared to be on some sort of field trip from their primary school. One might think that our first instinct was to run towards the group to greet them, but we were surprisingly more excited by the monkeys. I was the intelligent student that tested their boundaries and had my second close call when one approached me ready to pounce. Thankfully, that was the wildest my day got. When we ventured out for a game drive later that evening, our group had one goal: to see a simba (lion) or a leopard. Of course, neither of these happened. We did, however, see a lot of baboons, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, water buffalo, antelopes, flamingos and rhinos. At one point, we found a nice spot to stop and look at the incredible view of the sunset and landscape. Distracted by a few “jumping” pictures, it took a while to finally get back on the road and then it was time to head back to the lodge.
The Simba African Dance group performed some traditional African dance and we got our first glimpse of the Kenyan tourism industry. I found myself quite frustrated by the large number of people watching the performance for no purpose other than entertainment. I wondered if they cared to understand the rich cultural history that bred the amazing song and dance we heard. There wasn’t much time for contemplation, though, because within minutes, Tomas, Bryant and I were up from our seats and dancing with them. Despite what many think, I am not a very good dancer and found myself working rather hard to stay in sync with my dance partner. In spite of my rhythm difficulties, it was a lot of fun and we got to hear a little bit about the stories behind each dance. I bought their DVD and really look forward to sharing it with people back home! Our time in Nakuru opened my eyes to the tourism industry in Kenya. The vast differences between food, scenery and living conditions in popular tourist spots are mind-blowing.
If I had to sum up the past two days in one sentence, I would say that Kenyan youth and American youth have a lot to learn from each other. I have had the opportunity to interact with some of Kenya’s most inspiring young people. What I’ve come to learn is that all socioeconomic, geographic, political and cultural differences aside, young people across the world are not all that different. At the core, we all have struggles and we all have dreams. It is just the luck of the draw, really, that determines the difficulties we will face in realizing those dreams.
Yesterday we flew to Kisumu, Kenya in the Nyanza Province. After visiting the Miriu Health Clinic (funded by PEPFAR), we went to various homes in a remote village that have been sprayed for malaria prevention (part of the President’s Malaria Initiative, PMI). At one particular homestead, I met a fascinating young woman. It seemed odd that she was at home in the middle of the day, since the children from other homes we had visited were at school. It turns out that she is enrolled at an all-girls’ secondary school not too far from her home. The day before we arrived, however, the students of the school went on strike because they were not receiving food for lunch. This was promised to them as a part of their school fees. This simple, yet remarkable story was so amazing to me in that a group of young women were able to organize so quickly and effectively to take a stand against their school’s administration when their needs were not being met. Since the strike had just begun the day before our meeting, I am unaware of any update on its success. Regardless of the outcome, however, I found myself in awe of the strength these girls have already shown.
Later, we visited the Kagwa Community Based Organization, an organization (funded by PEPFAR) that provides services to improve the lives of those living with HIV in the community. They prepared a very moving and powerful performance for us. I was most affected by a group of young people that shared with us a poem and two songs about their experience living with HIV. I was unable to understand every word of these pieces because they were sung in Kiswahili, but the words were almost unimportant. I found myself tuning out the words anyway as I made eye contact with different individuals in the group and saw the hope and strength in their stares. It was very clear that they have found a supportive community in Kagwa that has allowed them to live their lives positively, regardless of their HIV status, as I have heard many Kenyans speak about this week.
Late that night, around 8:30pm, we drove to the Tuungane Youth Center to see their Moonlight initiative. Targeting at-risk youth, the initiative provides counseling, HIV and STI testing, substance abuse recovery support and many other services. It was a little nerve-racking because we were given specific instructions to stay together, stay with our directors and find someone if we ever felt uncomfortable. The scene of this street is virtually indescribable. People of all ages were crowding the streets, drinking from bottles, dancing to music and laughing with their friends. A tiny waiting area, barely lit, housed about 15-20 people waiting to receive services. Next to this, lining the streets, were four small tents, acting as the examination rooms. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, it was encouraging to see so many people taking advantage of this great program. In my mind, the most inspiring part of the Moonlight initiative is the Mobilizers. These are young members of the community dedicating their time to a most important cause: prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.
While other members of our group went into the tents to witness testing and counseling sessions, I stayed outside to speak with the Mobilizers. I spoke with Steve, Caroline, Eunice, Elizabeth and Solomon about their experiences with the program and why they are involved. They have all finished secondary school but were unable to afford university fees. After hearing about the Tuungane Youth Centre, they were eager to help and get involved. Tuungane provides them with training in community outreach, dialogue facilitation and in-depth knowledge of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS in Kisumu. Each night, the group interacts with community members, educating them on benefits of knowing their status, male circumcision, condom use and faithfulness. One of their main goals is to bring as many young people to the Centre as possible to work towards a safer and healthier youth community. I was so inspired by the intelligence of these students. The wealth of knowledge they have about effective means of reaching their peers is unique and invaluable. As we discussed university, their dreams were so big, yet so attainable: becoming community health workers, social workers, public health officers and doctors. All of them are so thankful for the opportunities given to them by the Tuungane Centre, but they don’t seem to grasp their value in the community. I am not sure they quite understand how special their commitment is. To them, this is life. There is no other option and they have a genuine passion for helping others and themselves. All were eager to tell their stories to the camera, asking for more resources so they can continue their outreach efforts and increase their impact.
They jumped at the opportunity to exchange e-mails and I am so looking forward to keeping in touch upon my return home. At my college campus, I see young activists daily. They work towards positive change and dedicate countless hours and energy to their projects. The dream of creating a better world is not unique to Kenyans or Americans; it is in all of us. When I spoke with these young people, I heard the passion and the excitement in their voices. I saw hope in their eyes. Their reasons for the work they do run so deep: they have watched HIV/AIDS take away their friends and family, they watch their friends struggle through substance abuse because they have nowhere else to turn. They feel a responsibility to their community to create change, and hearing their stories has instilled that same responsibility in me.
After visiting the Kitie Secondary School, we drove through Machakos to get to the Machakos Teacher Training College. We were warmly welcomed by the Deputy Principal and invited to come inside the campus. My first impression was that it was a beautiful campus! Similar to colleges back home, they had separate buildings for different classes and administrators. There was a beautiful grassy area in the middle with tables for students to study. We witnessed a lot of studying because the first year students (it is a two year program) have their midterm exams this week.
It was so generous of about 20 students to join us for lunch and to talk about their experiences during such a stressful time. After introductions, we heard from students about the kinds of courses they take, their experiences in teaching practicums, the financial burden of attending the college and the challenges they face throughout their studies. Two students in particular were very helpful and told us about their experiences. In their teaching practicum, one of the biggest challenges they face is the language barrier. They also spoke of the difficulties they will face in finding teaching positions.
One of the most interesting parts of our visit was learning that this is one of three colleges in Kenya that trains teachers with disabilities. These students are fully integrated into the classroom, which is completely unique to this school! While we all talked, two students were signing to another student so that he could be equally as engaged in the discussion! Our time here was short but it was incredible to see such motivated and passionate students. They have all been through so much to get to this point and I have no doubt that they will be successful and change many lives through their teaching!
We are on our way to the giraffe sanctuary right now and the road is getting pretty bumpy. Check in with us soon for pictures and videos from today!
In less than 24 hours I’ll be in D.C. getting ready to leave for Kenya with the rest of the group! As I was packing last night, the importance and meaning of this long-anticipated trip finally hit me. I’ve spent the last two years learning about Africa- its challenges and its possibilities as we move into the 21st century have inspired me to do anything and everything I can. This will be my first trip to Africa and to the developing world- all of the websites and books I’ve consulted in order to educate myself and others will finally come to life. I hope that I’ll be able to bring my own first-hand experience to ONE members through this technology!
I first began my work with ONE during my freshman year at the University of Michigan, and as I began to learn more and more about the issues, I discovered a motivation and passion stronger than anything I had previously experienced. On this trip, I’ll be focusing on Kenya’s next generation, a topic that immediately caught my interest. I will be able to connect with Kenyans my age and learn about how they see their country and their future. A lot of students might feel no connection at all to a young person in Kenya, and it’s my hope that by learning about their experiences, I will eventually be able to bridge some of the gap in understanding that exists here. I am looking forward to the trip of a lifetime and cannot wait to share it with all of you!
Michigan and Wisconsin Campus Outreach Ambassador (COA) Stephanie Parrish is a rising junior at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she has led the Wolverines to be the only 3-peat challenge winner and a close runner-up for our grand prize. Her consistently above-and-beyond leadership along with her strong application have earned her a spot on OCC’s first-ever Africa trip, this July.
At U-M, Stephanie studies Public Policy and African Studies, and plans to study abroad in 2010 in South Africa while simultaneously volunteering with the Treatment Action Campaign on HIV/AIDS issues. After college, Steph wants to pursue either a master of Public Health, Public Administration, or Public Policy degree through a program called Master’s International, which would allow her to complete coursework at a school in the US and be placed with the Peace Corps upon graduation. Eventually, she sees herself doing nonprofit field work in advocacy or research.
Stephanie has been a member of ONE since 2007, when she researched the organization for a class project. As the COA for Michigan and Wisconsin, she now recruits potential campus leaders on all college campuses in these states in an effort to grow the OCC in her region.
Under Stephanie’s strong leadership, the University of Michigan started the season off right by winning the very first challenge of the year: Campus Launches. They went on to repeat their success with our “ONE in Your Face” challenge, creating an impressive set of visual displays in Ann Arbor. Then U-M became the first school ever to win THREE challenges in one year when they took top honors for our Video Super Challenge in the post-season.
U-M went on to submit an amazing final project and ultimately rank within the top 3 OCC schools in the nation. You can check out Stephanie and her team’s final project here.
And as if that wasn’t amazing enough for one student in one year, Stephanie’s thoughtful and thorough design for an outreach program to maximize the impact of her trip to Africa really knocked it out of the ballpark. Check it out, here.
Congrats to Stephanie, and the other four Africa trip winners!
The OCC Blog is a daily log of the ONE Campus Challenge, a friendly competition to determine which university's student body has the most effective global poverty-fighting campaign. The site is operated by ONE staff, Campus Outreach Ambassadors (COAs), and Campus Leaders.
The content of each post represents the views of that post's author and does not necessarily reflect the views of ONE. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any post expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
TAGS: 2009 OCC Africa Trip, Africa Trip Stephanie Parrish