In the last of her blogs from Kenya, Guardian International Development Journalism Competition Finalist Roberta Radu visits Kibera, known as the third largest slum in the world, and meets some inspiring women who have clubbed together to fund childcare for their young children.
Children play in an alleyway in Kibera, Nairobi. © Kathryn Richards / CAREWe were originally supposed to go back to Nairobi on the 25th, but our flight was cancelled at the last minute. We arrived quite late for the security briefing that the wonderful staff based in Kibera had arranged for us, despite being on the earliest flight next morning. We were straight off to the nearby slums where I was to meet a number of women and the organisations that help their savings groups.
Kibera is often described using exaggerated adjectives: largest, most dangerous or over-populated, but it is more than that. The most striking aspect of all is that despite being referred to as the third largest slum in the world, it is actually very small. Covering only 2 square kilometres, Kibera slum is home to more than 200,000 people, although numbers are often a source of disagreement amongst various organisations.
Locals say the UN grossly exaggerated the population figures in its estimates, but do not agree with the low numbers that the Kenyan government claims either. The truth must lie somewhere in between.
It is not safe to walk around Kibera on your own, but the uneasiness disappears as soon as you meet the children who roam the corridors and streets freely. They are happy to see foreigners and extend their hands with much delight, every once in a while asking you to take a picture of them. They smile bashfully when seeing themselves on the screen of the camera, but prompted by curiosity, they soon ask for more.
Kibera is divided into 13 villages, but the one that has left the most lasting impression on me is Laini Saba. There we were welcomed by the staff at Ushirika Children School. James, a local of Laini Saba, helps run the school and a savings group called RICA. The school is very basic and the classrooms are dilapidated, but the children studying there have access to a pipe that supplies clean water and latrines that Amref built. James is extremely excited when talking about the individual achievements of the children and is very proud to show us pictures that he has posted on the wall of the main office.
Group saving
We are then taken to the nursery room where three women belonging to RICA Group greet us. Rebbeccah, Sarah, Florence and the other women in the group started working together because they realised they had a common problem: their children. They decided to open a day care centre for them, but soon found that they lacked the necessary funds. James referred them to CARE Kenya and they started saving money in a group. They now have 15 permanent members and their savings have cumulatively reached more than 88 000 shillings. The women also run an emergency fund for which Rebbeccah is very grateful. She borrowed from the social fund when she was hospitalised for malaria early this year. In other circumstances, she would not have been able to afford hospital fees and could have possibly lost her life, leaving four children to fend for themselves in the slums.
For these three women the most important aspect of the meetings is not necessarily financial. “Something that really motivated us was the fact that we were coming together, that we could share our problems and in a way help each other” says Florence. Post-election violence has managed to divide other groups but in the RICA group, heritage and trust are not the issue. “Every time we meet, we usually talk about these issues so at least now if there are any problems of trust we can iron them out in the meeting”. James agrees that tribal differences are hardly ever a problem in this particular group. If anything, he is proud to see tribes cooperating in order to achieve a goal.
As we walk back to the car, we are surrounded by children who hop around, avoiding open sewers and puddles with acrobatic mastery. It is hard to imagine the kind of lives they lead in Kibera and whether they will ever be able to get out of there. I have found myself asking this question time and time again, both in Kibera and in rural Kenya, and the women have surprisingly given similar answers. It is very unlikely that they will ever be able to get out of poverty but their children stand a much better chance through education. The common goal that James was talking about is about building a better life for Kenya’s children.
Read Roberta's previous blog installments.
Read Roberta's entry to The Guardian International Development Competition: The Power of Saving
