The Kibera Challenge

1. The Kibera Challenge Documentary photos and portraits from Kibera, an informal urban settlement or “slum,” with about a million inhabitants - the largest in Africa Laureen Obbayi, Global Literacy Project Country Coordinator, Kenya Simone Bingham, Global Literacy Project Math Consultant

2. Kiberan Highway, the railroad bisecting the Kibera slum, Nairobi, Kenya You jump onto the train that lurches out of Nairobi station, pass under Uhuru Highway, slip through the cutting next to the golf course, and struggle up the hill… you’re going towards the biggest, poorest slum in Africa. A place called Kibera. The train goes by at 6am and 5pm. No roads in and no roads out…

3. Kibera • The sprawling, unregulated slum originated during World War I, when the land was a temporary residence to the Nubian (Sudanese) soldiers from the Kings African Rifles. Kibera is now made up of over a dozen interlocking villages, with approximately 8,000 dwellings per village.

4. What is “Kibera”? • The name “Kibera” comes from the Nubian word “kibra,” meaning forest or jungle. • A dirty and forgotten place, Kibera does not appear on many maps, even though it is home to over 800,000 people, or one-third of Nairobi's population.

5. Life in Kibera • The majority of people living in Kibera have no title deed to the land they live on. • Crime and disease is rife, and unemployment is rampant. • Those who are employed spend many hours, usually on foot, traveling to and from their low-paid jobs in Nairobi.

6. “800,000+ people living in a ditch” • In the absence of almost all government services, the issue of refuse is a particular hazard in Kibera. • The smells leaps out at you as soon as you enter. • Wood fires, fried fish, excrement, rubbish - the rich stench of 800,000 people living in a ditch. • "You remember all those plastic bags you were talking about. Well they're called flying toilets. At night, when it's too dangerous to leave your home, some people do their business in bags, and fling them out the door."

7. Living in a Ditch • "We have been trying to clean the rubbish, but it is very difficult, because tomorrow there is even more rubbish around. There is nowhere to throw the rubbish. We’ve tried collection programs, but they don't work because the trash doesn’t go very far away. It is very bad for the water around here,“ said this local lady.

8. Living in a Ditch • The combination of poor nutrition and lack of sanitation accounts for many illnesses and deaths. • Because of the lack of toilet facilities (One for every 500-1000 people), two in three residents must use a "flying toilet" to defecate. Many children end up scrounging through the dumps for items that they try to resell…

9. "Corner of the month," • Unemployment is rampant creating the unique phenomenon in the bars called “corner of the month.” • "Corner of the month," our friends explained. "That's the third Friday - when no-one has any money left. Next weekend - after payday - things go crazy here - everyone gets drunk - the muggers have a field-day."

10. Impact of AIDS • There are also over 50,000 AIDS orphans surviving in Kibera, often cared for by grandparents, over crowded orphanages, or completely unattended. For these and all children in Kibera, schooling is rare and dependant on the ebb and flow of family finances, trapping them in a cycle of poverty.

11. Malaria • Malaria is a severe problem in Kibera, and is particularly damaging to the community because it often causes a person to be so sick that they are unable to work, which may precipitate the loss of a job or business revenue that is vital to their family’s survival.  • Malaria kills an African child every 30 seconds. Many children who survive an episode of severe malaria may suffer from learning impairments or brain damage. • Pregnant women and their unborn children are also particularly vulnerable to malaria, which is a major cause of prenatal mortality, low birth weight and maternal anemia

12. Lack of proper drainages • One of the primary factors in Malaria spread in Kibera is ineffective wastewater drainages that run thru the slum.  • In many parts of Kibera, drainages are simply channels dug in the dirt, and they quickly become muddy and clogged with waste.  • Residents use the drainages to remove waste water and solids from their household area. 

13. A Thirst for Education • In the midst of all these challenges, there is a thirst for education—the hope for an exit from a life of poverty. • The road to the local school is often a difficult one…

14. The Promise of an Education • The schools are oases for those who can get there…

15. The Promise of an Education • What we might consider a rude and primitive building is a place of security and where hope lives strongly…

16. The Need for Books • The Global Literacy Project is committed to making a difference in places like Kibera. • Our programs such as our “Culture of Reading” and S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) initiatives are formulated on the premise that poverty should not end the dreams of any child to have access to learning…