-- Below is the second write-up from a wonderful recent visitor, retired nurse Cheryl Fyfe. To see the first part of her account, please click here.
Note that below Cheryl describes visiting some homes in Kibera. These included the homes of Wickliff Wesonga and Phelix Ondiek, pictured to the right (Wickliff is the older boy shown first).
To read more about these boys, please click here and here.
Here is what Cheryl wrote:
KIBERA--
Until you have seen, smelt and touched Kibera no one especially in the Western World can comprehend what real poverty is all about. And yet Kibera has a life all of its own, you can feel a sense of community even in deplorable conditions. It makes me wonder how we would react in the same setting. I don't know if I can describe this place, you turn down a little alley with tin shacks and you are walking on muddy mounds of garbage. Most people do not have toilets so they defacate in paper bags and throw them into streets where you walk. It rained just before our second trip so everything was slippery with mud and slime.
I was completely and absolutely physically emotionally spiritually exhausted. I feel like screaming "Why do people have to live like this? Shouldn't we care enough to help them? These are good people. No one should have to live in these conditions." I was walking through mounds and mounds of garbage, slipping and nearly stumbling and so ashamed of myself a western person looking at these conditions and feeling so overwhelmed, is there anything at all one person can do? How can we understand this place until we experience it? Inside the tin shacks the floors were made of dirt and because of the rain they were completely muddy one tiny little room and yet every place I visited was welcoming and I was made to feel at home.
These are courageous wonderful people whom I greatly admire. When I was feeling overwhelmed I thought perhaps if I can help one school and affect some children's lives maybe that will be enough. The visit to the school again was unbelievable and to see the shining bright faces of these children from the slums was inspiring. The children and teachers were off that day for holidays and yet most of them came in for the visit.
I had brought a toy for each child and pencil from Canada with our Maple leaf on it, the disbelief on receiving gifts truly touched my heart. For some of these children it may be the only toy they will ever see.
They sang to me songs of welcome, recited verses from the Bible, without forgetting anything. Remember these are children 3-5 years old, remarkable children. Their teachers truly amazing, to be admired working with these conditions and giving such love and hope to these children it makes one feel humbled. Tenderfeet School is an oasis of hope in a bleak world and my heart goes out to Margaret and the teachers.
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