Kibera
The Kibera slum, in Nairobi, is one of the largest slums in Africa,
home to well over 1 million people. The "buildings" are one room
sites, with walls of either corrugated metal or mud/dung. In some
areas the residents come together and ensure that the streets are
maintained and clean, in other areas the streets become literally a
garbage dump with sewage running down the middle, animals foraging, and
children playing nearby.
We went on a walk through the slum one day, to visit the homes of some
of the pupils. In the right hand picture you can see a police
officer (one of two, both armed) who accompanied us - while we had no
trouble at all, we were strongly cautioned against going into the slums
without some form of escort.
What amazed me most of all was the
level of commerce being carried and the ingenious ways that people
coped. There were grocery stores, basic supplies, charcoal, all
available - from little store front shacks, in small quantities, but
available! Even cigarettes were sold individually.
