Once upon a time a forest.

Kibera means forest in the original Nubian language. Now it is possibly the largest slum in Africa.


What is Kibera?


Let's see what Wikipedia says:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibera

Let's listen to a voice from the forest 


http://www.rscj.org/node/36

Kibera means forest in the original Nubian language. It is a place with a unique history. It was originally part of Maasai grazing land. However, between 1912 and 1928, the British colonials settled there the Sudanese Nubian soldiers who fought in W.W. in service to the British Army. This was to compensate them for the service they did so well. But Kibera grew beyond imagination. As Nairobi expanded, many people came from the countryside in search of work. Kibera has become an attractive place for living, because it is within walking distance of the city center and the industrial area. It is an ethnically mixed neighborhood: tenants are of the Luo, Kikuyu, Luhya, Kamba, Kisii, and other ethnic groups, while the landlords are mainly Nubians and Kikuyus. The people of Kibera represent a melting pot of Kenyans from all regions, origins and communities. These people have no common background or aspirations, but have to find a way of living together in this “forest”.

The East African Railway line from Mombasa to the Uganda border passes through Kibera, and splits the slum into two areas: the upper and the lower. People walk along the railway, as well as sell food, used clothes, shoes, household equipment and anything that can give them some income. The railway line is also used as a dumping place for any refusal in the slum and from outside the slum. There are 11 villages in Kibera, with a population of approximately 700,000 people. According to researchers, Kibera is the largest informal settlement in Kenya and possibly the largest slum in Africa.

There is a joy in Kibera that will surprise you

Another voice from Kibera is that of Sabrina Henry who says:

"We stopped to buy some candies for the children and gave them away along our route. Here I borrowed my roommate’s 17 – 35 mm zoom lens to capture an angle that implies the vastness of the slums but focuses squarely on the children that call it home. There is a joy in Kibera that will surprise you. It comes from the feeling of community we’ve lost a long time ago in Western society and I think, from a really simple truth that we don’t need as much to be happy as we think we do".

Read full story and see the photos at:

http://sabrinahenry.com/2010/01/28/kibera-life-in-the-slums/

Now let's watch ourselves and take a Walk through Kibera

This is a video from the Kibera Slum Foundation, whose mission is to improve living conditions in Kibera Slums, Nairobi Kenya. They need OUR help! Learn more at www.kSLUM.org