Children of the Kibera Slums
Slum Survivors was released earlier this week by IRIN. The film is the first full length documentary produced by IRIN, the documentary tells the stories of some of Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenyan, Africa’s largest slum with a population around one million.
While the documentary does not focus on children specifically, it does share the stories of some children, however it is easy to quickly grasp the harsh reality that awaits any child who is born in to the Kibera slums. A child born into the slums endures a life in imprisoned by poverty, and with education as little more than a dream, escape for most is highly unlikely. In this world of daily survival, girls face even greater hardship, as gender inequality runs rampant.
“My dad wants everyone to drop out of school. He complains that he has no money, or that he’s sick … I don’t know … I don’t know why he doesn’t want us to learn.” - Christina, 17
Christina’s father was even more adamant about the money for education not being wasted on her, as she is a girl! Sadly Christina is not alone. It is situations like Christina’s and a life living in the Kibera, watching it grow out of control, as even more rural migration has expanded the settlement, which caused Abdul Kassim, to establish a secondary school for girls. Abdul rightfully fears that the situation in the slums is only going to get worse, as it continues to grow, and continues to be ignored.
“I don’t see why people are living the way they are living in Kibera, or in any other slums, there is no reason - there is no justification. And in Kibera if this issue is not handled at some time this problem is going to come knocking at people’s doors - and those who think it’s not their problem might be surprised one day when this problem comes knocking at their door.”
Children in the slums are ripe for abuse, and they face nothing but hardship after hardship. With a lack of proper nutrition, plumbing and clean water, children are at high risk for diseases such as malaria, cholera, and typhoid. Many children are abused, The number of orphans, and specifically AIDs orphans in Kibera is high, leaving many live alone or to live amongst other youths. All the children in Kibera spend their lives in fear and desperation. Solvent abuse, such as sniffing glue, is wide spread, and many children steal and pick-pocket the Nairobi streets, just to have a few shillings to get food.
Links:
Kibera Slum Foundation
December 4th, 2007 at 10:53 am
Do you know where to get this film for watching it?
thanks…
March 4th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
[…] Many Kenyan children who have been caught up in the violence live in utter poverty, with their futures looking bleak even before the eruption of violence. One such breeding ground for the violence, due to such a disstaine of corruption, lies right out side the capital city of Nirobi, in the slums of Kibera. The worlds largest slum with over one million people packed into a space the size of…. the children of Kibera and their families have no running or clean water, the same streets where children play overflow with human waste, breading disease to those who have no access to healthcare. And it is the Children of the Kibera Slums who […]
July 14th, 2008 at 2:53 am
[…] Sadly the increase of sexual exploitation of women and children Kenya is not an isolated case, as high instances of sexual exploitation, trafficking and rape are seen in many post conflict countries. One such case can be seen in my recent post on Sierra Leone, Despite Peace Sexual Violence Rages On in Sierra Leone. Please see some of my earlier posts, such as: Children of the Kibera Slums, Can Kenya’s Children be Healed? and What Future Awaits the Children of Kenya? For more on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery in Kenya please see the following links: Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery - Kenya US State Department - Trafficking in Persons Report 2008 ECPAT: Child Sex Tourism in Kenya IRIN: In-Depth: Youth in crisis: Coming of age in the 21st century […]