Slums of Hope

I get to take several visitors to our projects in Kibera and it is always interesting to see the different reactions people have on their first visit to the slum. Some recent visitors were surprised to find busy and bustling main streets full of people moving about with a sense of purpose – somewhere to be, something to get done. They expected a more sombre atmosphere with a greater sense of despair. All out despair is not something I have come across often in Kibera.

John Githongo said 'dignity comes before development – and thats about relationships. Therefore you may find a situation where people seem poor, who are living under challenging circumstances, but they are comfortable in their own skin. And it is in that kind of context that development, in the traditional sense, happens most easily.'

I've heard of people separating slums of despair and slums of hope, the first is home to people who have nowhere else to go, they have run out of options and run out of hope, this is their lot in life and they don't expect anything better. Slums of hope host people with dreams, people putting up with their current situation but working towards something better. I see Kibera as a slum of hope. Though there are people in Kibera for whom day to day survival takes up all their energy and tomorrow will be dealt with when it gets here. But there are also lots of people in Kibera who have a plan up their sleeve and choosing Kibera was a strategic move. For many that dream is more for their children than themselves. I have met plenty of people in Kibera who say this is what I've got, this is who I am and this is what I'm trying to do. I think this is the context that Githongo is talking about.

Though Kibera is awash with organisations offering all sorts of services with varying impact and effectiveness, looking to the people themselves I think the future could be brighter than forecast.