It is fortunate that Sarah and I had some time to experience the better parts of Nairobi before seeing what we saw today. It was a sight that will be embedded in our memories for a long time, the Mukuru slums.
Lacking running water, proper drainage, power in some parts, the Makuru slum houses fifty to one-hundred thousand people it sits within easy view of downtown. It is one of many slum areas located within the city limits of Nairobi.
This area is not on the usual tourist itinerary. We went so we so we could observe a small school, started by a group from the US, that has been established right in the center of the worst part of the slum in an attempt to educate and shelter some of the children.
Some members of our group are nurses and were coming to set up a small "clinic" for the day to examine and treat the children.
The slum conditions were deplorable but the school provides a haven for those who can come. The children are provided uniforms, a slightly better environment than outside of the school walls and a hot meal, usually beans and corn, every day. Thirty of the children are orphans.
Every country has its slum communities and they are all deplorable but the full impact of their existence isn't fully realized until one actually stands in the midst of it seeing the conditions and the faces of the people, especially the children. It is heartbreaking.
This is the dark side of Nairobi that most visitors never see.
Tomorrow we leave for a nine-hour journey by van to another school set in a considerably more pleasant environment, Kisima Academy. There, each of us will have a role in helping in some capacity for the next six days.
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Wow - I bet that was incredibly sad and humbling to be right in the middle of those slums. Hope you all made it safely to the next spot. I am enjoying reading your blog!
ReplyDelete-Jess