We walked 1.5 miles through the slums of Nairobi today. We’re writing this blog entry through tears. Neither the poverty you’ve seen on television nor this blog entry can fully capture the desperate condition of this community.
Families in the slums live in shacks, or what locals call shanties. Shanties are approximately 8’x10’ in size and are made of tree limbs, mud and sheet metal. Most shanties have one small bed where an adult sleeps while children slumber on the dirt floor. Those who are lucky have a chair to sit on during the day and most shanties have a small cooking area located in one corner. There’s no electricity or running water in a shanty. It’s a dark, humbling place. We made several home visits today to hear people’s stories and pray with them. We visited one woman with AIDS and another shanty where two Hope Center children live. Each time we entered a home, we were reminded that our bedroom is larger than the home of a Kenyan family of four.
There are no true toilets or showers in Bondeni. A trench runs outside a row of shanties where people dump both human waste and garbage. Ultimately, these ditches are open sewers. This is the environment where children play.
Because unemployment is high and homes are small, most people sit out on the street during the day. Children who are not in school or aren’t old enough to attend yet play with garbage as they pass the time.
During our tour of the slums, I met a two year old boy who tugged on my shirt. I bent down to talk to him and noticed he was playing with a condom. He probably found it in the garbage. You know that poverty is at an all time high when such items become the toys of children.
The highlight of our day was visiting the new Hope School in Bondeni. The facilities are not attractive by American standards, but they look like a million bucks compared to the rest of the neighborhood. This center radiates with hope and excellence. During recess, children play with rocks in a small, open dirt area. One of the teachers explained, to these children, this play area is paradise. It’s fenced in, safe and without rotting trash. They love it! And to watch the children laugh and play confirms they’re excited to be there. After school is over, the children linger. Teachers have to make them go home the end of the day.
The education at this school is top notch. The children sang songs, recited Scripture and presented poems to us from memory. I think they have more Scripture memorized than I do! When the children enter the school, most of them are illiterate or below grade level. The school assesses their knowledge and implements a plan to catch them up to age appropriate standards. The teachers are enthusiastic, dedicated and consider their job a ministry. We passed several public schools on our tour. The Hope facilities and teachers far exceed the educational alternatives in Nairobi.
The Bondeni Hope Center School currently meets in a rented facility surrounded by shanties. It’s a poor and often dangerous part of the community. The school hopes to purchase land in a better area and build a permanent facility in the future- a need that West Side might be able to help with through our Christmas efforts.
There is an EXTREME difference between children on the street and the children involved with the Hope School. Children on the street have torn clothes, dirty faces and often appear unhappy or frightened. Kids at the Bondeni Hope Center have smiles on their faces, wear quality clothing and appear both healthy and happy. What a difference our child sponsorships are making!
The Bondeni School opened in September and was made possible by West Side’s sponsorship efforts. No school existed before West Side joined the team. There’s HOPE in Bondeni now, thanks in part to the 407 child sponsors from Springfield, Illinois.
