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April 9, 2010
From the Middle East/Africa Microcredit Summit in Kenya
I visited a slum in Nairobi today, where two million people inhabit a space of roughly two square miles. Tiny houses – too tiny, really, to even be called houses – are home to anywhere from eight to ten people. There is one latrine for every four hundred. Filth is everywhere, along with kindness and dignity and beautiful smiles.
What I have realized here is that the existence of such slums -- home to millions and millions of people all around the world – is a deep obscenity. People are not dogs and they should not live that way. And I have learned for myself what people in the slums themselves keep saying: that just because someone lives in a slum, that doesn't mean that they are stupid. Nor does it mean that they are not good people.
The most beautiful little children are everywhere in these slums, walking around radiating joy --- for they do not yet know where they are. And when they see such people as myself walk by, they say the phrase -- no they practically sing the phrase, waving joyfully as they do -- "How are you!? How are you!? How are you?!"
It's one of those things where you knew, but you didn't really know.
As I exited the Kibera slum – called a slum by the inhabitants themselves, by the way – the gentleman next to me and I discussed how lucky we were that we got to leave.
When I entered my high end Nairobi hotel room an hour later -- emotionally and physically exhausted as well as covered in dirt -- I threw myself on the luxurious mattress of a clean and well made bed, relishing the thought of a hot shower to follow. And then it hit me, like a ton of bricks.
The people I had been with all day in the Kibera slums would not be lying down now on a luxurious mattress, nor had they ever. They would not be taking a long hot shower, nor had they ever. They would not be eating a good hot meal tonight, nor had they ever.
And like others I know who have made these trips to the slums of Kenya, I wept.
I defy anyone to go through this experience and be the same person on the other side of it that they were before.
I know that I will not be. I pray to be better.
For ways you can help end poverty NOW, check out www.results.org and www.microcreditsummit.org
-- Marianne
Posted by mwblog at April 9, 2010 6:19 AM
