this saying stands strong even when vast spaces of land divide us
the needs of people, the wants, the emotions, the friendships, the desire for love, hope and compassion
but it is amazing how differently we live out our lives
I have been able to draw so many parallels between the triumphs and defeats of the people of Kenya and the people of Canada; we our proud of our countries, strive for positive change, want to share and learn from others to better ourselves and our communities, we have areas of segregation and anger, we have youth who have negative experiences with traditional education and on wards. Yet, Kenya has opened my eyes to how our countries are in different stages of development and so very different..
Myself, Sam-antha, Sebastien (said with a french accent) and Conor have settled in the community of riverside, in the Baba Dogo slums, Kenya. This is an apartment community which would be considered one of the better off areas. Surrounding us is Kariobangi which borders us, Mathare also borders us and is home to approximately 500,000 people. With the work we do we will be traveling into all of these areas.
Education for Life's 2 offices are found in Kariobangi. They are a 20 minute walk down the main road and are on the 3rd story of a building shared with a VERY wide variety of companies, shops, and even a school, all in the midst of what seems to be a high concentration of welders *who weld with no or little protective equipment and send sparks flying into the path of passer byes*. Mathare looks like it goes on forever, it is a sight I never quite imagined.
One of the first questions we were asked by George, the organizer of Education for Life, was 'what did you think Kenya would be like?' and I don't think I ever had one clear vision of what Kenya would be like. I saw it as a diverse land of green open areas where there was beauty and freedom to roam, but lacking opportunities. In Nairobi I saw a booming area of prosperity which many people desired but few attained. In the slums I saw a slow life, with few possessions and little opportunity. My view of Kenya was shaped by movies, books, the internet and discussions. I think these things together created a fairly accurate depiction of the Kenya which I have thus far got to know. What is changing about my view of Kenya are these stories and teachings are coming to life before my eyes. I have to understand their ways, their reasons, the structure, how I fit it and where change must come and where change is already in progress.
I have already learned a lot from the short period of time I have been here. Most of this knowledge has been from observation or from my fellow co-workers at EFL. I would like to share with you some insights which I thought were very valuable (just a small hand full of all I have learned):
1. Child Laybour: trying to define child laybour in the slums of Kenya is no simplistic task. But it is rather interesting. To increase meaningful and productive young lives it is important to draw the line between work and laybour. When there is such a need for money, and where school (secondary) can be an added cost to a family it is not unusual for families to keep children out of school and put them to work instead. The definition for child laybour that is being formed is that when work takes away from a child's learning or opportunity to be a child.
2. The reality for persons with disabilities: I am sure that what I have read about online about persons with disabilities being hidden from the public, tied up, shunned and sent away to institutions is the reality of the area (although I have yet to see this with my own eyes). The amazing thing is that I have been connected to a group of parents who have children with disabilities have formed a support network together. I will be working with them so that they can understand their children's needs and how to facilitate holistic wellness with their children. I am happy to see a group of parents showing interest in bettering the lives of their disabled children. * I will be working with 3-4 different organizations, providing physical therapy to persons with disabilities - with this particular group I seem to be the only one providing this service).
3. Involving the Parents: involving the parents in the education of youth is big on the agenda of EFL and I think this is a great thing that is not often looked into. They are working towards facilitating active involvement of the parents in their youths education. This is currently no existent and because of this their is a lack of support and inspiration spread from the parents to the youth. I agree and believe that is important that not only are the youth inspired by their elders so that they can have the inspirational support network they need.
4. Empowerment: The focus of primary and secondary schools in Kenya are the basics of math, science and english.For EFL this is not enough and with their school programing (which all of us will be involved in *primarily sebastien) they strive primarily to inspire the youth to work hard achieve their dreams and break the mold. In their sessions they speak about real life. I am a huge believer that education will not go far without empowerment and I am so glad that EFL beliefs are in line with mine so well on this topic.
While I continue to learn lots I think I am continually struggling with a ying yang war between a head full of bad and a world full of good in many instances of life here in Kenya. While I know that neither will ever triumph over the other, a balance must be achieved. It is hard to trust people enough to make good friendships and connections with people outside of EFL and while I want to open up and befriend people here it is also very necessary to have a very watchful eye (for instance in some areas for work with delinquent youth in a Very low income area we have been advised to not carry anything, even of modest value with us). I want to give to the children and believe that they will respect what the share with us, but from experience we know that this relationship does not always work as we would have hoped as these children so desperately want the things we bring with us.
but for now this must be goodbye. I hope this small view into the lives of the people of the Kenya slums and the future ahead of them was helpful for you and you are excited to see my journey begining.
Again thank you for tuning in :)
goodbye for now for now from this mzungu 'white people'
with love from Kenya
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