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.