Things coming together....

Some of you have been asking what life is like in Nairobi. The last three weeks have been highly unusual to say the least. I live in an area called Riara not far off Ngong Rd which is a main artery from the city centre to the town of Ngong, south of the city.

Kibera is to the south east of us and close enough for us to have seen smoke rising as parts of it burnt. We have become accustomed to the sound of police helicopters flying overhead and gunshots in the afternoon.

The recent three days of protests have seen the police using live ammunition to disperse protesters in Nairobi. Though they had already been doing so in Kisumu where over 100 people were found in the morgue with bullet wounds, some women and children.

It is now a common sight to see riot police and paramilitaries all over Nairobi. The inital restraint that they showed evaporated quickly. A group of 70 middle class women organised a peaceful protest last week in Hurlingham a well - to- do suburb. Most were mothers and grandmothers and one mother was even carrying a baby. The police dispersed the gathering with tear gas! A friend of mine who saw it happen said it was horrible. However, at least they were not killed.

The extra-judicial killings are becoming alarming. Unarmed protesters are being shot at even as they run away. Locally the live media ban continues although the country eagerly watched the opening of parliament and the election of an opposition speaker of the house. Ethnically the country remains polarised and tribalism is at an all time high. Unfortunately a lot of the international media over-simplifies the situation. Kibera for example is often referred to as an opposition stronghold.

Although this is true the groups I am working with include people that voted for the incumbent (Kibaki) and for the opposition (Raila). At one meeting I attended a woman walked in wearing a pro-Kibaki T-Shirt. She had come from another part of Kibera wearing it and had not been attacked en route and obviously felt safe waering it. I emphasize this because there are 2 other parts to the post-election violence.

The power struggle between young and old and the conflict between the rich and poor.

KEEPING HOPE ALIVE:
I agreed with the groups that I wouldn't return to Kibera during the 3 days of mass action. I must say though I felt rather bad about it, there I was looking out for my own safety and they had no choice.

I received a call from Erick on Thursday. The men had already started to dig a well for the carwash as well as put up makeshift structures in anticipation of the money required to buy the equipment.This was confirmed by the treasurer when we met Friday morning to go to the bank. He said wearily that the mass action was now slowing them down. Everytime they had tried to congregate to carry on the police had dispersed them.

On Friday last week I went to the bank with the treasurer from the men's and the women's group. It was ostensibly to bank the 50,000KSh that was going to the men's and 55,000KSh that was going to the women's group.They were to take the deposit slips to the groups as proof of the money's existence. Although this may seem a rather protracted way of doing things I decided that I was not going to carry money into Kibera for obvious reasons.

When the groups were ready for the money I would return to the bank with them and withdraw it again for their use. Another reason for going to the bank with them is the account we have set up belongs to Erick's youth group. I am trying to encourage the other two groups to become more formalised in their financial matters. As the money that many of you have kindly donated belongs to the group I am trying to get them to open group bank accounts.

The meeting at the bank went well and the manager agreed that when the accounts are opened in the near future it would be on the same terms as the youth group account - i.e. reduced charges and next day cheque clearing etc. as they are community groups.

Today (Wednesday) I got a phonecall from the chairwoman of the women's group. She had identified 12 women who would start businesses and were readyto go. We hope to get the funds to them as soon as possible and then go for a progress visit.

We have also had a wonderful offer from a paediatrician who has a lot of experience working in difficult/ restricted conditions as well as an occupational therapist who specializes in childhood disorders to set up a clinic at the chidlren's home.

Those of you who have sent money to be used at the children's home we are going to use it to get the basic supplies required to get the clinic going. Initially the clinic is going to run one day a week and should look after the health needs of the children in the area.

As the paediatrician has previously worked with MSF (Doctors without Borders) she is going to use her connections to be able to refer any children that need specialist or in-patient care to their facilities.

STOP PRESS:
The government has recently (amongst serious controversy) annouced that all camps homing displaced people are to be shut in the next week. These people do not have a home to go to but apprently they are costing a lot of money and the country is now deemed safe.

Intenational mediators continue to arrive. This week sees Kofi Annan (former UN Secretary General), Graca Machel (wife to Nelson mandela and seasoned activist), Benjamin Mkapa (former Tanzanian president) and Yoweri Museveni (curent Ugandan President).

The political standstill continues.

Sorry I did not manage to get this email out to you during the week. It is now Saturday (26th) and the men's group have received 50,000 KSH (about 360 pounds) and the carwash is well underway. I visited the site and the work seems to be going well.

The women's group have received 60,000KSh (about 430 pounds) and 12 women are going to start up businesses next week. The next email I send you will have photos of all of the aforementioned progress.

The French government sponsored food-for-work project has also started well. They have employed Erick as a facilitator so he is going to be able to realise a dream of learning how to drive soon.

The website should also be updated in the next few days detailing contributions and exactly how they have been used so that you can see what money has come in and where it has gone. Thank you all once again for your support.

Also this week I will be sending out to those of you who have asked details of specific supplies the children's home needs. Sorry if i have been a bit slow with some of this but it is only me - no big office structure trying to get everything done.

I would just like to remind you all that it has been less than a month since I first visited Kibera. In an age where it is often so easy to get cynical abouut whether or not change can take place already it has.

There are 92 people who have a lot more hope than they did a month ago. 1 of them has a new job, 12 are re-starting businesses they lost and 62 are pooling together into 4 joint ventures to be able to support themselves, their families and their communities.

Find out more - Make a contribution

Thank you for the pledges of money that continue to come in. They will be a huge help. We are preparing ourselves for a rough week ahead. Parliament is due to open today and that promises to be stormy.

Also the opposition have called for 'mass action' on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. No one is quite sure what will happen and how it will affect us. We all hope though that there wil not be more violence.

I went to Kibera this Saturday just gone exactly a week to the day when I first went there. I met with 2 groups. The Makina Self Help Group which is a group of men and the Jitahidi Women's Development Association.

Both groups were business people who were supporting each other before 'the trouble started'. I had decided not to take my camera until I had gotten to know the groups a little better and had their permission to take photos.

This turned out to be the right move. They were wary of people in the past who come by and promise a lot and they had felt exploited by 'slum tourists'. I was totally open with them about the fact that they were going to be assisted by private individuals etc.

Meeting with them gave me a huge amount of hope. Not only were these groups ethnically mixed they were also organised already and all they needed was a bit of a helping hand to achieve their goals.

There were 29 members in the women's group who had all lost their businesses. When you think that every Kenyan who earns a salary feeds 10 people and every self employed Kenyan supports an average of 17 people the numbers are quite alarming.

What they need is enough money to start between 5 - 10 businesses and then they will help other members get back on their feet once the initial businesses are established. The money will belong to the group and they will be responsible for each other.

The businesses that the women were running included kiosks, hair salons, second hand clothes stalls, food stalls and so on. The average cost of starting such a business is 15,000 KSh (just over 100 pounds).

There were 62 men out of whom 23 had their own businesses which had all been lost. The men have decided to pool together to start 4 businesses including a carwash, charcoal business, scrap metal dealers and shop.

The total cost of this is 145,000 Ksh (just over 1000 pounds). Therefore if we can raise about 2000 pounds we can help to get this community back on its feet. It has many benefits.

Firstly it gives them an income and means that they can become self sufficient again but also it allows them to look after themselves in the future. The groups want to work towards having such contigency money should any other problems arise in the future.

I met again with the groups on monday and this time I went further into Kibera. To read about open sewers is one thing to experience them is something else. I met many children who were about the same age as my own nearly 9 month old daughter.

They were all sparklingly clean and delightful. I thought about the hazards as she is trying to crawl and looked at the homes I was invited into. They were cramped one bedroom huts with mud walls.

Some had electricity, a single bulb that cut through a tarpaulin ceiling that really isn't all that weather resistent. Windows were rare. Outside the front door should a child stray was a gutter that lined the houses filled with excrement etc.

The stench was overpowering.

During the meetings we had talked about what the groups would like to achieve long term. Their goals were no different to mine. They wanted to improve their living environments and had plans for waste management projects, communal celaning projects etc.

They wanted to be able to enjoy their free time with their families instead of worrying about the next meal. They hoped for a better life for their children. The men invited me to watch their football team's next match. They promised my safety in Kibera. I felt safe.

We thrashed out ideas about how the money would be managed and how we would all be accountable. I said very little, they had all the solutions all they needed was someone to listen and facillitate their process.

You can be a bridge they said - between us and those that can help us.

Both groups have committed to submitting monthly status reports on how their businesses are going once everything is up and running. The have also said that they will be happy for me to take photos on future visits.

So I extend the challenge to all of you. If you have pledged money so far Please could you try and transfer it into the following account as soon as possible. Please send me an email/ text to let me know when you have done so.

We have opened an account with a local bank because they agreed to waive certain charges and give us preferatial rates for foreign currency when they heard about our project aims.

If you haven't please consider doing so. We are trying to give a long term solution to a problem that has arisen out of a horrible political crisis. Our website is also up and running thanks to HL who sorted it out for free.

The address (for now is) http://kyicd.blogspot.com
At the moment it doesn't have a huge amount on it because I am spending most of my time trying to raise funds to get the projects going.

Once we have the initial 2000 pounds in place then I will put more information on there. Please let me know if you DO NOT want me to put your name and contribution on the website as a thank you.

Please pass on our website address to people who can help. It is my dream that within 2 weeks of my first visit to Kibera I can present the groups with some funding. I am sure you can help me make it come true.

NB. If you have requested that the money be specifically used say for example for the childrens home I will ensure that happens. Also there are no administrative costs going into this project.

All the money that is raised will go directly to the people of Kibera. Although Erick may receive a small stipend for his efforts I am donating 100% my time and resources required to make this happen.

See bank account details on the right. Thank you.

More Positive News

What can I say? The response to my initial email has been amazing. Thank you all so very much. It has given me the energy to carry on trying to help the people of Kibera. I am having to learn a lot as I go and thought I would share with you some of the successes.

Considering it has been less that a week since my first visit, a lot has happened.

Basically there are 2 issues at hand
1. The immediate need of the people who have been hardest hit post-elections
2. Long term solutions to help people who live in very vulnerable situations.

Firstly I just wanted to say thank you for forwarding my email, it has meant that I have received support from people I don't even know and otherwise wonuldn't reach. AD's husband is going to get my email broadcast on a radio station in the US.

A website edited in South Africa is also going to be publishing the email.

1. This Wednesday just gone friends MT, HA and TMM gave supplies including clothing, food, sanitary towels, nappies etc that filled half a pick up and was sucessfully delivered to Mama Tunza's Children's home.

I have also been pledged 50 pounds from J (a woman who received a forwarded email) for the children's home as well as medical supplies from a friend MS. Another friend MG has also pledged funds which are to be finalised.

2. A friend BG who has contacts in the French Government has managed to secure 150,000 Euros for a 'food for work' project that will employ 250 men for 4 months. These men will help to clean up and rebuild parts of Kibera in exchange for food vouchers.

The hope of the project starting has already been immense. When following the announcement that the President had named a large portion of his Cabinet, there was more violence threatened, Erick and his youth group were able to quell some of it.

They appraoched some of the young men who were about to start trouble and informed them that there was a project soon to start and those who caused trouble would not be included in it. Potential problems were averted.

Friends BK and JN and their families raised 40,00KSh (about 285 pounds) which has already been distributed to a security team that have been keeping the watch in the following neighbourhoods in Kibera - Makina, Fort jesus, Ayani, Kianda and Katwekere.

This team of 75 include 50 men who stay up all night to ensure that vulnerable families are kept safe and to try and prevent further damage to properties in the area. The 25 women make tea for the men and help to keep them awake.

Most of them lost their jobs as they were casual labourers who have not been able to return to employment easily following the post-election fracas. They each received a token of appreciation of 500KSh (about 3.50 pounds).

Erick received 1000KSh as he has been doing a lot of the co-ordinating and running around. The effect of this money has already been felt. Some of the women said that they thought they had been completely forgotten. Some had had their businesses burnt and destroyed.

To that effect I hope to get more money to add to the 1,500KSh that remains to help some women start a kiosk that will both provide a community service where there are no shops but also a livelihood. It only costs 15,000Ksh (about 107 pounds) to start one.

I am going to meet with both the men and women security group on Saturday. As well as taking them little certificates of appreciation I hope to facilitate an open discussion where everyone can just talk about what has happened to them.

The groups are made up of poeple of all tribes and I believe this can help a healing process.

Another friend AZ has pledged 50 pounds towards the cost of setting up a website for Erick's youth group. The Kibera Youth Initiative for Community Devlopment are registered as a non-profit organisation with the ministry for gender, culture and sports.

We are also going to set up a bank account for them this week.

We want the group to fully transparent and accountable so all information will be on the website. There will be three main projects: Mama Tunza's Children's home, Enabling women to start small businesses, future funding for the 'food for work' programme.

That basically covers men, women and children in Kibera.

Why I am particularly enthusiatic about these projects is that they have come up from the grassroots themselves. They are BY the people of Kibera FOR the people of Kibera. They best know their own needs and how to meet them.

All they need is a little help to be able to achieve their goals.

As Erick said there is a real oppourtunity here for something good to come out of something terrible. So please continue to support them however you can. As you have read even a relatively small amount of money can make a huge difference.

Latest Kenyan News

Thank you for all your thoughts, support and prayers as Kenya goes through this trying time. Many of you have asked to find out what is happening on the ground so I have tried to give you a sketch of what is going on. I have posted some photographs of the physical damage that has been done. First though I start with a brief outline of the current political situation as defined by those who know the law a lot better than I do.

Please find below an excerpt from an advocate to the high court concerning kenya's recent general election. Already the head of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (Mr. Kivuitu) has admitted that he did not know who won the election and called he and his fellow commissioners 'culprits'in a process that was marred by irregularities. Despite this admission he has also stated that he will not resign.

"With due respect to Mr Kivuitu, it was irregular, unlawful and void in law to announce the results on December 30 and swear in the President on the same day. The ECK boss announced the results when he did not have the original Forms 16, 16A and 17A from each constituency, refused to allow the 24-hour period for candidates to lodge complaints and declined to allow retallying." from an article written by Mr. Kipkorir in the Nation on Saturday 5th January. For the full article which explains exactly what the constitution states and how the process should have actually gone: click here

Even before the general elections, I had contact with a youth leader from Kibera Youth Initiative for Community Development called Erick. He had been trying to get me involved with a children's home that the youth were actively involved in running. What was special about this project in East Africa's biggest slum (Kibera) was that it was young men between the ages of 18 - 35 that would help to prepare the food, clean and develop programmes for Mama Tunza's Orphanage.

In the aftermath of the elections, we started to speak daily. Erick lives in the Fort Jesus area of Kibera. His group KYICD were seriously affected by the turnout of events. They had to organise themselves to protect (largely) women and children from attack and also protect businesses from being destroyed. They had watched toi market (which provides their daily bread) go up in flames.

Initially I was mainly concerned with Erick's welfare. Giving him remedies for his broken arm, buying him airtime for his phone so he could contact people but soon it became apparent that many many people were in dire need. A friend who worked with MSF (Doctors without Borders) told me they had a clinic open in Kibera but no-one realised it was open because communications were at best difficult.

Once in touch with Erick many people were able to get to the clinic for treatment, most of them were young women who had been raped. It was critical they received treatment but also drugs that could prevent HIV/AIDS infection. Every evening Erick would call to say thank you and report on the people who had been helped. This was despite the fact that he was barely sleeping, injured himself and on constant patrols to ensure the saftey in his neigbbourhood.

One night Erick called me at midnight. He had a call from a woman who was stuck in her house surrounded by a gang of men - was there anything I could do? I felt totally useless - who would go into a notorious slum at a time like this to help her? Erick was in a dilemma - should they leave the people they were currently guarding vulnerable and may not even get there in time? The worst happened in the end and she was taken to the clinic for treatment the following morning.

Yesterday morning Erick called and asked if I would go into Kibera. He wanted me to see for myself and hear for myself what people had been going through. If possible he also wanted me to take photographs. The day before I had been collecting supplies for displaced families to deliver to a local church, I wanted to feel that that was enough. I looked at my 8 and a half month old daughter and I was scared. So scared in fact that I decided to go.

My husband devised a way for us to secret the camera and we went to meet Erick. We met him at Uchumi Supermarket in Adams Arcade. Shortly after we got there people started running and several armed police arrived. The security pulled down the barrier into the carpark. We found out later that tear gas had been released on Ngong Road. Erick told us we would be safe once we got into Kibera, it was the getting into and out of that was a problem. I did notice then that many of the poeple who were running were heading towards Kibera.

Minutes later the incident past and we drive first to woodley (what used to be a middle class area), then toi market (a huge expanse which served not only kibera but many people from all walks of life who go to buy 'mitumba' - second hand clothes - there) and finally fort jesus (kibera). Everywhere the scenes were the same - total destruction, burnt out cars, (not a kiosk had survived in toi market), road blocks and barricades. Erick said 'It looks like mogadishu'. He was right.

I suddenly understood why Erick had wanted us to go. If a market like Camden in London was flattened the photos would make the front pages. We were hearing bits and pieces but the full story was far from coming out.

A full live media ban had been ordered soon after journalists had been thrown out of the centre where the election results were being annouced by the authorities. It is difficult to get an idea of the scale of damage without seeing it - words in print are barely enough.

The saddest thing is that these were people who already had so little. As we went further in people pulling mkokoteni's (hand driven rickshaws) were carrying out their meagre belongings - where were they to go? Many poeple wanted to know why they were suffering all over again. Why it was that those that had were safe and secure while those that did not have were fighting (in some cases quite literally) for their lives. Had we not all voted in the same election?

We had heard gunshots when we were at Toi Market and Erick was almost casual 'They are becoming a part of our lives,' he said. In Fort Jesus however things started to get more hectic, suddenly matatus (public service vehicles) were turning back and indicating that we should do so.

I got a phonecall from my brother warning me that they had heard some violence had erupted (again) and we should get out as soon as we can. Thankfully we got out safely - leaving Erick where he lives - behind.

Today morning Erick phoned and explained that the skirmishes were due to a Red Cross lorry that had been looted. Gangsters had heard about its arrival and had denied people who had queued for hours the oppourtunity of some relief. He wanted to know if we would be willing to take food into Kibera - he was also clear that it meant that we would be potential targets.

We loaded a pickup full of drinking water and the boot of our car with essentials such as unga (maize flour), wimbi (porridge), toilet paper, nappies, sanitary towels etc. Our destination was a Mama Tunza's children's home in the Olympic Area of Kibera. We took a different route in and went at a time when most people should be in church.
It was harder to take photos this time though the destruction we saw was worse. On most streets there were groups of young men hanging around looking tense and wary. The only 2 photojournalists we saw were not straying far from the eye shot of the 2 mariah loads of GSU (paramilitary) patrol men. When we went past a group of 3 such men (and the GSU were not longer within our line of sight) one said in Swahili "Come any closer and I'll burn your car right now." There were people trying to salvage spare parts from the wrecks that littered the road.

Olympic where we were headed was in tatters. What had once been a realtively well built up area looked like the remnants of a war zone. Shops were burnt out or looted. All through Kibera there were different political slogans and posters. Erick explained that it was in a bid to try and save their properties people displayed their allegiances. Only, once the fire starts, it can't read the hurried paint on the walls. Everyone was affected, regardless of who they might have supported.

At the children's home we had to unload very quickly to avoid being seen. Dozens of the children came out and helped to rush the provisions inside. Mama Tunza started looking after 1 child in 1997 and now looks after over 60 in what is essentially a 3 bedroom double storey shack. At least it has electricity though they lost their water supply 'when the trouble started'. The home also has a school which sees roughly 200 through its doors - especially around lunchtime when many local children come to get what is their only meal of the day.

They had been very badly hit by the post-election problems. They weren't able to get any food and Mama Tunza clearly had not been sleeping either. She said 'You see how we live here (children sleep mainly 4 a bed and it is very crowded). If a fire were to start we would all perish. I have to be alert to raise alarm in case of any danger.' Children were still arriving and she couldn't turn any away - but then again she had nothing for them either.

I filmed what I could but EricK said we should not stay for too long. People would start to wonder what we were doing at the home and if we had brought food. As we were driving out we came across a procession of the Alegio Maria Church praying for peace. Erick pointed out a group of young men who have been keeping a record of what has been going on - I would have like to have talked with them but remembered Erick's prayer before we went in 'Let God be our guide'. Ahead there were a couple of men who were trying to clean up the street. They stopped to let us pass and gave us a thumbs up sign. Despite everything they were trying to maintain some sense of decorum and keep their dignity.

If you feel after reading this that you can/ would like to help in any way - please do not hesitate to get in touch or to pass on this information to those who might be able to do so.