Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: 23 July, 2011

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: 23 July, 2011: "Working with young people Before I come to my reflections on my time here, I have to write about today. Today was an amazing day for ..."

23 July, 2011

Working with young people

Before I come to my reflections on my time here, I have to write about today.  Today was an amazing day for me.  Working with children is always such a joy (even for those of us who like to give them back!).  The organisation I work with IDEWES, runs an OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) programme.  Within this programme, we have a psychosocial session for children under 18 which involves occasionally bringing them together on a Saturday and involving them in activities.  Besides creating space for them to be children the session also helps the organisation identify any cases relating to violation of children’s rights.  Since my work began here in April, there has not been one psychosocial event due to lack of resources to run it.  So I decided to fund one psychosocial event to take place today.  And if I have the time to do it again before I leave, I most certainly will!  

First, I arrived at the office at about 1.15pm today, together with 2 other members of staff, and the Director Julie, to prepare for the arrival of children at about 2pm.  I printed off some drawings for the younger ones to paint and colour with crayons and I cut up some flipcharts for them to draw on.  Lillian proceeded to wash cups for refreshments.  At the excitement of seeing children arrive and gather round the registration table, I dashed outside to take photos.  Here’s where my ‘children are amazing to work with’ feeling starts.  I proceeded to take random photos of them. They noticed this and start to pay more attention to their facial expressions and poses.  I got one cracking photograph of two girls about 10 or 11 I’d say when I encouraged them to smile – in the end I get a laugh from them – great photo!  I show another girl of about 8 or 9 a photo I’ve just taken of her. She is so excited to see herself on my not so sophisticated digital camera and giggles away.  I think - the simple things that put a smile on a child’s face.  They all want their photographs taken.

Chora shule! Cheka!

Once we have registered a good number of children, we group them into three – the younger ones, about 7 and under, and the older boys from the girls.  The younger ones stay indoors while the older ones go outside to play with skipping ropes and footballs provided by the organisation.   Later, I give them a Frisbee disc and show them how to throw it.  Now, there’s a short story behind the Frisbee disc.  My flatmate back in London is a keen ultimate Frisbee sportsman.  He donated one of his very special Frisbee discs to the children to play with and requested that I take photos too, which I have done.  I hope he won’t be disappointed when he realises from the photos that given the small space they were playing in, coupled with the fact that my Kiswahili is limited to a few words and no sentences, their ultimate Frisbee sport closely resembled rugby!  The important thing though is that they loved it.  

In our small office, the younger ones sit on the floor and are given drawings and crayon to colour.  It’s a joy to see children colour, choose different coloured crayons, and draw things that are familiar to them.  When each one of them was done with colouring a photograph they would come to me with it, as if to say ‘see what I’ve done – isn’t it amazing?’  I gave them more to colour and plain paper to draw on, and I learned a few more words ‘chora’ (draw) ‘chora shule’ (draw your school), etc and when taking photos ‘cheka’ (smile).  Finally when they are all done I get them to hold up their drawings and I take several photos of them.  It is rather amusing and the photos are a bit of a mess as they keep crowding round me in a bid to make sure that their drawings are captured by the camera!

Behind the smiles...

I also take photos of the older girls skipping, and the boys playing football and rugby (both with a football), and Frisbee.   After about 2 hours, it’s time for refreshments.   Juice concentrate and biscuits for all.  They love it as all kids do.  They queue for their refreshments, after which we bring the afternoon to a close.  But not before Lillian has identified a case of a child who says that her mother beats her until she bruises.  Behind the ‘cheka’ of these children, there is always a story that pulls at one’s heartstrings.  The staff are trained paralegals, so Lillian will follow up on this next week.  

Pulling at my heartstrings and the results

In all 83+ children went away with smiles on their faces and happy tummies.  That certainly put a smile on my face.  The two staff who led on this also have done a fantastic job too. They were so well organised and complemented each other very well.  

It’s so easy to put a smile on children’s faces.  My best moment of today has to be when this little guy – about 5 years old – came to me and confidently demanded that I take a photo of him.  I was so impressed and taken by his attitude that I made a whole show of readying up my camera to take a photo of him.  I was rewarded with a cheeky smile and a pose which I recognised to be a ‘peace’ sign but I was told was a ‘chill’ sign. Nice.  I loved it – I took a couple of photos of him, which he loved.  And then he asked if he could take a photo with my camera.  Unfortunately, I could not give in to that for many different reasons, and I felt rather bad about it, but it certainly brought an idea to mind – a photography session! Now that’s an idea for next time!

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: 20 July, 2011

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: 20 July, 2011: "My fourth month – looking back It has been almost two months now since I last updated my blog. In this time I have learnt that I miss w..."

20 July, 2011

My fourth month – looking back

It has been almost two months now since I last updated my blog.  In this time I have learnt that I miss writing and I love writing and it is very exciting to be writing again, but, finding the time to write is a huge challenge!  So, here’s my attempt to address this challenge, bring you up to speed with where I am now, what’s happened and how I’m spending my last few weeks.  

Incredibly, my time’s simply raced along but it’s been my most amazing journey, and I would not trade it for anything else in the world.  In this time I have also thought about why I’m here, why I chose to volunteer here, and how to capture this in a cohesive way in my blog.  With some help from an old journalist friend, I’ve also revisited (mentally anyway) why I started writing this blog in the first place.  I have been genuinely impressed with, and appreciative of, all those who have dedicated time to read them.  But I’ll come to these thoughts later.  

Seeing results – organisation profile and leaflet ...

First, I want to bring you up to speed with where I left off in May.  If I recall correctly, I fell rather ill (for the second time!) in the last week or so of May and found myself on antibiotics.  But that was the only downside.  With my work at IDEWES, there were three key achievements which I was immensely proud of, not due to my efforts alone but also due to the staff’s hard work, and in relation to these specific outputs the international volunteers Eyrun and Eli.  Thanks to these two, the organisational leaflet was completed and approved by some members of the board.  I finally sent it off for printing to a benevolent friend (whom I’m very grateful to) in London who offered to make 400 copies of in-house prints for us which we received via post three weeks later.   I also completed the organisational profile, and after a lot of pressure on my part the website is also finally up and running.  Thanks to both these outputs, I felt ready to approach funders with promotional materials.  

...and the biggest achievement – the filing system!

Finally, one of the biggest tasks - Eyrun completed work on the filing system as per the five week work plan we had put together.  All files were in place, folders weeded, renamed, sub-folders created, and a file map created and saved on the office PC.  Bearing in mind that staff are not particularly familiar with the PC and do not use it often, we made sure to print a hardcopy of the file map, organised alphabetically to make it easy for staff to locate files.  In addition, I guided Eyrun to develop training for staff on the use of the filing system and designated one local member of staff to be responsible for it.  I’ve mentioned before that Eyrun’s Icelandic, (only) 19 but very mature.  As we were developing the training, she confessed that she’d never done any ‘teaching’ or ‘spoken in front of people’ and that she was nervous delivering training.  I appreciated her honesty, and it also reminded me that she was really 19.  I helped her through it and she pulled it off pretty well!  The local staff were very receptive to it and seemed to grasp it quickly, and the person designated to be responsible for it is currently doing a remarkable job, one I’m very impressed with.  

To top it all off, the training took place on Eyrun’s last day at work. She was going off travelling around East Africa for a month and then heading back home to Iceland just in time for her sister’s wedding in July.  We threw a small party for her at work – there was a lot to eat and drink.  It was quite emotional, and reading her report which comprised of her achievements at work and her time at the organisation, I shed a tear or two.  I would miss her – she had been great support for me, a great work colleague, and a wonderful young friend to hang out with occasionally.  I was glad Eli would be here for another month at least, so I still had someone to hang out with.  In June, I would take a short holiday to the coast with Eli and I was really looking forward to it.  What with falling ill, et al, my body seemed to be screaming out to me that it could do with a break.  

All in all I felt I had ended the month with some key outputs – just in time to head off on a much deserved holiday in Mombasa and surrounding areas. 

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: Tuesday 16 May

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: Tuesday 16 May: "A lesson learnt, or two Every day in Kenya is different. Today is one of those days. Most importantly, I (re-)learn what could proba..."

Tuesday 16 May

A lesson learnt, or two

Every day in Kenya is different.  Today is one of those days.  Most importantly, I (re-)learn what could probably be my two most important lessons to date –  (a) In development work grassroots organisations know what is best for their beneficiaries, and (b) even if I have different views, there’s a good reason for the status quo and it works.   So, while I may think that I have great organisational skills, creative ideas, etc, etc,  it does not automatically make my ideas and way of working right.  What is important is an understanding of the dynamics of the community, the relationships built within it, the social and economic context.  I should know this from my community development background, but being in the middle of it, and in some ways being an outsider, leaves me facing some hard facts of development work.  The fact of it is that some delivery methods of services may seem very unusual not only to those of us who are used to the developed world’s fast pace of life, and well laid out plans, etc, but even to those of us who grew up in parts of Africa where we had better opportunities than most.   So while some delivery methods in grassroots development may seem unconventional, underneath it all there is a logic to it, and a process.  It gets there in the end and with amazing results.    

Preparing for the community forum

So here’s my story.  This morning we are holding a community forum on women’s rights.  Our target is 100 women in Kibera.  Lillian is in charge of awareness-raising of human rights and therefore in charge of today’s event.  At the staff meeting yesterday and last week we have covered all that is needed to be done for the session today.  All staff have roles and responsibilities to assist with the community forum this morning.  

The venue and other options

Needless to say, things do not exactly get off to a great start.  First, the venue we are supposed to be using has not been cleaned and registration begins in an hour.    Cleaning this venue and its surroundings is no mean task.  The space itself where the forum will be held can be dusted, swept, benches arranged, posters put up, etc in no time.  The problem is the surroundings.   There’s sewage strewn everywhere as one approaches the venue.  The venue is directly behind our office.  The only access to it is right next to our own office, and there’s a heap of rubbish that’s been ‘growing’ over the last week or so.  The open gutters around the venue are clogged with stagnant water and even more sewage.  It really is disgusting and the stench emanating from the gutters is enough to make one sick if inhaled constantly for longer than ‘necessary’.   Now Kibera is full of stench like this as one walks through but with time it becomes more of a waft than a constant.   The difference between wafts and today is that the small corridor that leads into the room to be used for the forum also has an open gutter that has collected stagnant water and sewage from the gutters outside where the drainage is clogged.  So the stench has found its way inside.   To clean the gutters will take time unless we enlist the services of some young men and pay them for it.  

At this moment I cannot see how we can hold a seminar here in its current state.  Lillian tells me that Julie booked another place the night before.   This venue is about 10 minutes away.   She convinces me that it’s a better venue than this one, it is ‘locally serviced’ and therefore clean, it is stocked with enough benches and the payment rate is the same as this place.  I think this is a good idea.  I’m excited about it and I call Julie to talk with her about this.   However, she seems adamant that we use this place behind our office as (a) it’s closer and (b) she has a good relationship with the owner of the venue.  I’m not convinced.  I go with Lillian to see this other venue so that I can make my own assessment of the situation.  When I see it there is no doubt in my mind that this is the place to use.  I call Julie for the third time this morning to get my point across in the hope of convincing her.  She’s still very adamant - she says that once the other venue is cleaned it will be good to use.  I feel really frustrated now and a little irritated with the situation.  I can be very stubborn and in my mind at this moment, with registration time fast approaching, I cannot see beyond the clogged drains and the stench.   We have funders attending this event and I also feel that we will be judged not only on our delivery of the session, but also on our preparation, organisation, surroundings etc.   Despite my inability to see beyond this, in as much as I may not agree with Julie, she is my boss and I won’t disrespect her wishes and her instructions.  So we head back to the office to sort out the original venue.  

Doing as I’m told and cleaning up

We solicit the help of some local guys who work across from us to unclog the drains and clean the gutter and surrounding areas for a small fee.  I help fetch water and dust the venue, arrange benches, and then put posters up as well as flipcharts to be used for the session.  In the meantime, women from the community are trickling in.  Despite the non-starter this morning, by 10am the surroundings have been cleaned, the room organised.  It’s almost full with women and we are ready to start and we are on time!  Over the next two hours of the session, more women stream in, until there’s not enough space inside and some participate by looking in through the windows and by standing in the doorway.  We targeted 100 women – our registration sheets show that we have at least 120 women.  

Community forum on women’s rights

The session itself is educative, interactive and very well delivered.   Lillian and Jane lead the discussions with a lot of input from the women and from the lawyers who are representing our funders and their technical partners.  Most of the session is in Kiswahili but Rispa, another paralegal, translates for me.  Some of it I can understand judging from the excitement in the room.  They talk about everything – from the rights of women in intimate relationships, to the responsibilities of family men, to inheritance rights of women should their partners pass away, etc etc.  Their questions are direct and to the point and are enough to make most men shy away.  In as much as some of the discussions cause ripples of laughter, amusement and excitement, the related questions are some of the most important ones.  Most of these women have been affected by HIV/AIDs in some way and just by living in the slum where there is a high population of people living with the virus, they are more at risk of being infected.  If I had my doubts about sessions like these, I can now see how useful this is for them.  At the very least, it’s a safe space to discuss issues that they wouldn’t otherwise discuss elsewhere; it’s a space to get answers on how to approach domestic issues, etc; a safe space to get answers on what to do and where to go should one feel that their rights have been abused, for example.  There are lawyers present here today who are from organisations that provide free representation to women like these.  There’s so much support for them, and one can only hope that the knowledge they gain here is enough to empower them.  I think sessions like these if carried out on a more regular basis could have long-lasting effects and make more of an impact.

We finish the seminar on time at 12 and afterwards each of the women is given a packet of milk.  It’s been a very good session. I’m impressed with Lillian’s approach to it and with her delivery also.  The beneficiaries seem to think so themselves as they confirm that their expectations have been met to a large extent.  

On reflection ...

At some point during the session, bearing in mind the drama of the morning, it dawns on me that the seminar is going very well, that the venue is OK, that there is no stench as I’d thought before etc etc.   After the seminar, I am told that the funders were very impressed with the content of the session, with the delivery, with the venue, with how organised we were and with the turnout.  I’m impressed.   The other staff – Lillian, Ayub and Julie – all say thank you to me for a wonderful job.  Honestly, I do not feel that the success of the forum is down to me and I tell them I cannot take the credit for it.  I think they all pulled together well, and Lillian was well prepared with her delivery.   She deserves most, if not all, of the credit for the success of the event.  I may have enabled them in terms of preparation and covering all the basics but the delivery I feel has barely anything to do with me.  My theory is that capacity building is only possible where there is some sort of foundation - it’s just a matter of getting the most out of it / people and that’s what I hope I’m doing.  I make sure to let the staff know what a great job they have done.

‘This is the way things are done here’ ... and it works

On a personal note, and for my own learning, Julie was right about the venue.  Once we had cleaned it up it was all OK and it worked.  We even managed to start on time, something we would not have achieved had we changed the venue at the last minute as we would have had to inform participants and guide them to the new venue.  My assessment of the situation was certainly off the mark and my solution to it, while acceptable, was not appropriate within the context.  I apologise to Julie for coming across rather irritable on the phone earlier.  She’s OK with it. She understands where I’m coming from and apologises for not being able to communicate better her own thoughts on the situation.  She says to me that while she thinks I may have been right in my assessment of the situation in some way, ‘this is the way things are done here’.  

For me, it’s a shift in attitude, one I did not see coming.  I come away from this experience feeling I have learnt more in one day than in the six or seven weeks I’ve been here.

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: Monday 15 May

Living in Nairobi, working in Kibera: Monday 15 May: "An unusual day Today is another first. I wake up feeling rather low. I believe it is one of the few times during my time here that I ..."

Monday 15 May

An unusual day

Today is another first.  I wake up feeling rather low.  I believe it is one of the few times during my time here that I will feel like this.  As the day progresses, everything seems challenging and all things negative jump out at me.  I feel pressured.  I feel I am seeing little results for the effort I’m putting into my work here.  Recently, I also spent time negotiating a relationship between my organisation and a local (profit-making) link.  But local politics in relationships here is rife, and this week it seems that Julie has changed her mind about developing any sort of beneficial links with this local body.  This is one of the challenges that I have to deal with – local politics and local relationships – and as frustrating as it is I can only work with what I’m given.