Hope in Kibera

I must admit that when we headed out for Kibera Thursday morning, I was a bit reluctant. Tuesday was so draining and depressing and I didn’t know if I was up for it again. We met an American woman named Andrea (pictured sitting next to me) who I was put into contact with through an organization based in Franklin, Tenn. called African Leadership. Andrea started coming to Kibera several years ago to volunteer and do mission work. It was through her work at Kibera that she met her husband who is a Kenyan man. Now Andrea is expecting her first child and works in Kibera a few days a week.



We met Andrea for a quick cup of coffee at a coffee shop called Dormans in the YaYa Center near our apartment. From there, we took a matatu into Kibera. Our first stop was a preschool named Jamii. You would have thought Michael and I were Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles. The children totally freaked out, screaming, running to us trying to grab our hand. One little girl named Anna wouldn’t let go of my hand the entire time we were inside.



Our second stop was Little Rock preschool. This preschool was started by two Kenyan women, Christine (pictured below) and Lilly.

Most preschools in Kibera charge between 500-1000 shillings per month per child, which is the equivalent of U.S. $8-$16. That may not seem a lot to many of you, but trust me to the 1 million people struggling to survive in Kibera, it’s everything. When you have to come up with money to pay to use the toilet every time you need to do your business, when you need to come up with money to get a jug of water or buy some food or pay rent, there might not be 500 shillings to spare to send your toddler to preschool.



Lilly and Christine saw the enormous need for affordable preschool education in Kibera. So in 2003, they opened Little Rock Preschool only charging each child 100 shillings per month, which is about U.S. $1.50.

Four years later, Little Rock has 150 children enrolled in their preschool and it’s still growing. In a country where there is no Disability Act, children with disabilities often get shunned. Their parents don’t know how to care for them, the schools won’t accept them, and they get left behind. But Little Rock opens its doors to children with down syndrome and cerebral palsy. Deaf children also face similar obstacles in poverty stricken areas because their parents don’t know sign language. Several years ago, Little Rock opened a special deaf unit where three trained teachers (one pictured below) lead the program.



On Thursday, the children at Little Rock Preschool were practicing their Christmas performance and graduation ceremony, which will be performed on November 30th. They sang Christmas carols, acted out a play, and practiced getting their diplomas. I was smiling from ear to ear.


After the practice, Christine took us to the Little Rock Library. She explained that when children graduate from Little Rock and move on to primary school, some children can’t afford to buy their own books. While primary school is free in Kenya, children have to purchase uniforms and books- an expense that some families just can’t afford.

So Little Rock purchased several textbooks plus additional story books for Little Rock alumni to use in the library after school in order to do their homework. They’ve also organized a Football League (American soccer) for the boys to play in three days a week.


While what I saw on Thursday doesn’t erase what I saw on Tuesday, it does give me hope. It gives me hope to see the smiles on the children’s faces, the children’s eagerness to learn and most importantly it gives me hope to find good people like Christine and Lilly who haven’t given up on these children, who still believe that children in Kibera deserve an education, and that they can have a bright future ahead of them. At least, that’s my hope.