Photos of Kibera

Here is the small classroom in which we taught. In this tiny room we have about 20 plus/minus 5 people. Because we don't have enough space, we have to take out the tables and put the chairs into rows, while we taught up front with flipchart papers. We don't have enough chairs and we have to stand a lot or share chairs with 1 or 2 other people.






























Here are our students and us teaching. I don't have a photo of Sarah, Alia and Nancy's teaching in my camera... I know someone else does though. These are also some action photos of our business simulation exercise.



















Here are some photos around the area in which we teach. The children like to stop and chant to us, "How are you? How are you? How are you?" We scared them away by chanting "We are fine, We are fine, We are fine." The yellow matatu (mini bus) is hired by us to take us to Kibera everyday.
































Here are the students singing to us on the last day as well as graduation ceremony for them, when we presented to them a certificate, a pen, a keychain, and a cap.

































More photos of the Kibera community below. Slums are not legal settlements and there are times when the government just comes in and shut things down. Garbage just gets dumped everywhere and burned.

Posted by Josephine Wong

An End for a New Beginning

I cannot believe this project is done - well, at least the on site part.

We woke up for our last breakfast yesterday morning, thinking that this day will never come, but here we are.

I just wanted to say thank you to our sponsors for their support, Nancy for her guidance, and our entire team for such great synergy and team work.

As this project comes to a close, we really hope that it has brought impact and a new beginning to the lives of the many youths we have worked with.

Please do come back to this site as we eventually get back into town we will upload photos of what we have done and a more detailed debrief.


Posted by Josephine Wong

Thank you to the Students

I wanted to write this as a thank you to the other 5 who have put so much of themselves into this project to not only make it work, but make it work wonderfully.
Not one of these UBC students has ever asked for recognition, but they have each done so much to make this project amazing for these youth in Kibera, I wanted to say thank you.

Thank you Alia Somji for putting in more time than was physically available to meet deadlines.

Thank you Josie Wong for putting in so much extra effort than was ever recognized.
Thank you Sarah Malleson for always keeping us mindful of the bigger picture and always offering to do what she could to ease the burden of others.

Thank you Eiston Lo for adding a perspective that few of us had and doing what you could to meet the kiberan students requests.

Thank you Brittany Baum for tying up the millions of loose ends and working more hours on this then there are in the day.

There have been many organizations and individuals that have helped see this project come to its fruition, but the other 5 have never personally been thanked and so this email is to thank them for all of their time, energy, strength, blood, sweat and tears that they committed to this project to see it happen and grow.

I am so proud of all of you, and thank you for making this happen.

kath


Posted by Kathy Cochrane

Drawing to a close

SE101:Africa has been quite an adventure. We have come a long way and have been very successful carrying out our objectives and doing each task that we’d prepared. But like all pilot projects there are definitely things that we know need to be altered or improved next year. Not major things, just small revisions to make it better next time round - this is standard for any project like this one, even important. One of these alterations involves time off. This project has been INTENSIVE! So intensive in fact that getting on the internet to write a blog is a serious challenge and sending an email home is almost impossible - time just doesn’t permit these little luxuries. Even after our work in Kibera is done for the day, the work for our team is only just beginning. The chores we need to do and preparation that needs to be completed to carry on the next day takes up every evening. Sometimes you forget to stop and take a breath and appreciate that we are actually here in Nairobi.

We are now drawing close to the end of this first project. And I for one, am emotionally, socially and physically exhausted. And although I think that overall I have had a good time, it’s sometimes hard to tell because we just don’t have the time to review what’s happened since we are so busy preparing what is still to come. This project has been a challenge, there have been many high points and a couple low ones too. So if you really want to know how the project has been, all I can really tell you is: ask me again when it’s over!


Posted by Sarah Malleson

CLICK: Connecting Leaders Internationally to Collaborate Knowledge.

Today was very interesting as it was our first day in what feels like a year that we were able to sleep in for a couple of hours. After revamping our original schedule to free up the morning, the team met with some SIFE students from the United States International University of Kenya. Instantly we all seemed to 'click' with one another and the afternoon that we spent with them at their campus passed quite quickly. We had a great lunch together and afterwards we talked about who we were as individuals and who we were as collective groups (SIFE and SE:101 Africa respectively). After sharing the goals and missions of our projects, we were all very excited to see how much common ground we all seemed to have with one another. It did not matter that we were from Canada, or they were from the various areas of Kenya; we all understood and appreciated the value of being involved in the manifestation of energy into development within the international community. It is this shared understanding that has brought us together.

At times in Canada I have felt somewhat lost in what feels like the infinate discrepancy between the way things are and the way things should be. The way that the world has dealt with the issue of the "African problem" has become, what I believe to be the greatest failing of human kind. It is within our power to abolish absolute poverty by educating and enabling and yet, there is so little that is done to rectify this unnecessary problem. I feel lost because this discrepancy is vast and it is on such a scale that I, as an individual, feel somewhat powerless to its size. However, meeting with these students gave me so much encouragement that I feel reassured that, indeed, changing the world and the way the world works is not only possible, it is inevitable. As individuals who want to change the world, our efforts are somewhat futile; however, as a collective group of passionate individuals who want to change the world by collaborating all of our efforts and personal strengths, there will be an inevitable change from the way things are now to the way they have the potential to be.

Development and evolution are inevitable consequences of time; now is the time for us to embrace our roles as global citizens and synergize to consequently create insurmountable efforts to develop our world in a way that is beneficial to all, rather than leaving a vast proportion behind. What opportunities lie ahead for us my friends... they are astounding.

Kathy.


Posted by Kathy Cochrane

If Only Students Ran the World

Today we had an amazing day, although it did not necessarily start that way. We'd cancelled today's class, as the Kiberan youth seemed to need a break, and the Canadian team definitely needed a break. Unfortunately (or so it seemed at the start of the day), we'd agreed to have students from US International University (USIU) visit class, and then we would go to their university for lunch, and to talk about possible collaboration. Since we weren't having class, they couldn't come to observe our project, but we (somewhat reluctantly) agreed to meet at one, and go over to USIU, have lunch with the students, and talk about how we might work together. Reluctantly, because it meant that we weren't really having the day off.

At one, we were gathered at our meeting spot, but there was no one from USIU to get us. We ended up waiting almost 40 minutes for the bus to arrive. By this time, the students who had missed breakfast were pretty cranky. Even I was feeling tired--it was a warm, sunny day and all of a sudden, having to go to a meeting did not feel like fun. Finally, nearly 40 minutes late, the bus arrived to get us. Meanwhile, as we waited, the UBC Team begged me to offer to host the lunch at the hotel so they could eat lunch immediately and not have to get on a bus. I suggested this to the USUI faculty adviser, who immediately declared that we couldn't do
that--we had to go over to USIU. The UBC Team, to their credit, pulled themselves together enough to get on the bus.

The faculty member and I rode in his car, so we weren't with the students. It was about a 20-25 minute drive to the university. By the time we arrived, to watch the students exit the bus, we saw endless chatter--Kenyan and Canadian students talking as if they'd known each
other forever. It was so heartwarming.

We went right to the cafeteria for lunch. Afterwards, the students met, while I met with the faculty adviser and the associate dean. Bear in mind--this was Saturday!!! The students, the faculty adviser, and the dean had all come in to meet us--as our schedule doesn't permit meetings during the week. At the dean's office, the faculty adviser looked out the window to see the students scattered on the lawn, sitting talking to each other about our project and theirs (they do work on developing business plans as well). He was amused--noting that he'd told his students to take my students to a conference room, but instead they all camped on the lawn. He took pictures of them, he was so impressed with how they were getting along.

I had a very successful meeting with the associate dean and the faculty adviser, and we sketched out a number of ways we could collaborate. Part of my mission in Kenya is to make university connections at the faculty and student levels. We also need to figure out a way to have the Kiberan youth that we've been teaching be followed up. As faculty members, we had
a great meeting, and found many points of possible collaboration.

At the end of our meeting, the faculty adviser and I went out to see the students--they were engrossed in sharing with each other their respective projects, and their dreams for how to work together. I wanted to burst into tears as I listened to them talk to each other. On the outside, they look so different--the Black students from Kenya, and the multicultural
students from Canada (we have three Caucasians, two Asian Canadians, and one Ismaeli student whose family is from Tanzania). On the inside, they were so close together. Their faculty adviser noticed the same thing. He started snapping more pictures of them--wanting to record a moment when two diverse cultures came together, so easily, so quickly, looking for ways to collaborate more closely in the future. We could barely pry them apart, to get them onto the bus to return us back to where we are staying. For once, I had all the patience in the world--my heart swelled with pride at the way the students had gotten along, and I would have gladly watched them interact for the rest of the afternoon.

Tonight, at dinner, the UBC Team said they had the best meeting today. They'd forgotten their initial reluctance to have the meeting, and now were talking about how much they wanted to work together with their new friends, to help young, disadvantaged people of Kenya learn how to write business plans.

If only students were asked to solve more of the problems of the world.


Posted by Nancy Langton

When Our Passions Meet

Eiston and I did our last workshop today. The topic was Teamwork and Management of Employees. We had only 8 students today because there was a community performance and many of the youths were in the performance or went to watch it. But the small group unfolded quite well as we turned the workshop into a discussion format and it really helped me so that I don't have to speak on top of my throat, as I was totally losing my voice after an entire day of teaching. Sarah and Alia will take on the last two workshops next week.

This afternoon Sarah and I had a long talk about business vs. development. I have always been skeptical about mega MNCs making billions of dollars and just dishing a percentage out to aid developing countries because the aid money often almost never make it down the system to people who need it the most. As an IR student, I should really embrace globalization as the formula to solve development problems, but as we talk about power and privilege in our own country in social justice issues (racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism etc.), globalization just extends the power dichotomy to a global basis. The developed countries being the privileged and always controlling the world system to keep the developing countries underdeveloped.

Well, anyway, that's just my personal take on development and world issues.

Sarah was telling me how she wants to study medicine and use that as a tool to come back to Africa and do development work. I think that is very admirable, because the majority of medical students want to become a doctor for the prestige, social status and money. Our entire team is full of passion and I am very proud of that. I have met many friends/students when I first entered university who did have a lot of passion about changing the world and helping the less privileged, although recognizing that it may take baby steps at a time. But after two years of university, I find the passion of the same people changed, because we are so consumed with the materalisitic lifestyle we pursue. University education often suffocates and blinds us instead of enlighten us because of the consumerist and materialist world we live in.

In here, I can wear the same t-shirt everyday (of course washed and cleaned) and when I have a bad day, I don't have to look in the mirror for 60 minutes before I am confident enough to step out of my house. I can care about things that really matter and I feel like I can be confident in who I am without spending a ridiculous amount of time to make myself look presentable. As much as we all want to live a comfortable and confident lifestyle modestly, it is almost impossible to extricate ourselves from the materialist system in the West.

I am so glad to have worked with such a tight and passionate team because it reminds me of where my own passion lies and that it can be sustained. I really need to meet more people like them for me to appreciate and reaffirm my own values.


Posted by Josephine Wong

Business in Action

We have been a bit behind on the blog because there has been so much action happening in so little time.

So, we have completed the introduction, marketing and financial workshops. Yesterday it was Eiston and my turn to teach about the Operational Plan. In the morning, we had an unexpected speaker and that threw us off schedule slightly. We were flying through the Production Techniques, Quality Control, Customer Service, Supplier Selection and Operation Location and Hours section as we really made it into a combination review of the previous workshops. It was really funny because… Well, Eiston is a very action-action-action go-go-go type of person, so he speaks really fast. In the workshop, especially because we were pressed for time, he was speaking faster and faster and faster like how speed accelerates as one rolls down the hill. I was quite stressed out by that time because I cannot quite keep up with him so I finally told him to slow down in front of the class, and we had a good laugh. Sorry to have to build the humour upon you, Eiston.

Anyway, it took us a lot of time and effort to explain the significance of inventory control and cash flow, and how to keep track of it. The youths really understood the concept, but to put it into a standard North American accounting spreadsheet - the layout was quite foreign and confusing to them. Anyway, by the end of the morning session, I was totally losing my voice and my throat was going to crack. I feel like I’ve never talked so much in such a couple hours of my life.

In the afternoon, we did a business simulation exercise, and I’m very glad that the youths enjoyed it so much and had so much to take out of the exercise. How the exercise was organized is that we have two competing companies who are to make greeting cards (e.g. Hallmark vs. Carlton Cards) and the youths played the role of employer and employees in those two companies. The UBC Team played the customers, banker (to give out a $500 loan and to collect $60 interest at the end of each production round), equipment supplier (to sell equipment and materials e.g. scissors and papers to produce the cards). Like in real life, the companies always think the customers are too picky. What happened was that they just produced cards at really poor quality and sold it to us at huge discounts - which is worse than not selling because they are losing money with each card. It was really interesting to watch how the team behaves and how the CEO of each team behaves so differently and everybody was so into the situation - it was not just a game to the youths. I was one of the customers and someone started to yell at me, and obviously, I did not give them any business. Although one team had an organizational structure advantage over the other, they still lost by a huge margin because of poor leadership. This not only brought business to reality for the youths, but watching them brought a lot of reality to my own life and helped me reflect on how I work with my team members in different organizations. We did debrief this morning and they really had a lot to take out of this simulation, and I am very happy that all the work we’ve put into this workshop and simulation paid off. I really have to thank the entire team to help us run this because we could not have done this on our own and without the feedback of this exercise before we did this.

We have been facing some problems though. The business plan is really long and difficult to write in such a short time, and we really have to push to get things done… We are quite exhausted with the one-on-one sessions too. For next year, I think it is important that we just shorten the amount of homework that we hand out and just simplify the business plan template in general to make things more effective.

Some fun stuff… Two nights ago a couple of us went to a Slam Poetry performance. What this was is that there is an open mike where people read out their poems in very creative ways, including singing, dancing, and slow motion Kung Fu. It was quite an eye opener because the quality of poems is on par with students at UBC. I am not even half as creative or my language is half as good as the performers there. Last night, we went to an authentic Ethiopian dinner. Well, I don’t eat spicy food at all, but since I came to Africa, I just have to deal with the spicy food, and I think I am getting quite good at it. Ethiopian dinner was fun because there are these mega plates with injera (a type of sour bread) on which you eat your meat/vegetables with. Nancy also got her 2nd proposal today…

Other fun stuff… Well, all of us except for Nancy and Brittany decided to go visit Tanzania after our program is over. We will enjoy the weekend at Zanzibar together, and Eiston and I will go on safari and see the crater. This is all so exciting, but African time is quite the challenge for us to get organized and just get our chores done… on top of our super tight schedule.

So, this has been what’s happening so far… I’m really enjoying my stay here. It’s really nice to wake up and just throw on a t-shirt whereas in Vancouver, I spend a significant amount of time deciding what to wear everyday I wake up. I love Africa.

Posted by Josephine Wong

Endless Marriage Proposals

Okay, so much has happened for the past couple of days.

Let's start with the Finance Workshop. To demonstrate the concept of supply and demand, Brit and Kathy brought in a cake and handed out different amounts of monopoly money to the class, and asked what price the students are willing to pay for the cake. Obviously, the more expensive it was, the less students are willing or able to afford the cake. Afterwards, we shared the cake and had a very happy break. It's also funny how the students loved the monopoly money and wouldn't give it back to us.

While we were waiting for the Matatu (minibus) to take us home, a busload full of kids in uniform stopped in front of us and started to chant, "How are you? How are you? How are you? How are you? How are you?" We chanted back, "We are fine. We are fine. We are fine." Dead silence. I wonder if the kids know what they are saying.

Yesterday, we had our Marketing tutorial. Nancy Brit and Kathy went to meet with Microfinance firms while Eiston Alia Sarah and I went to the tutorial. We were expecting the four students of the intensive group to show up, but 15 ended up coming. Obviously, demand exceeds supply. We jumped from student to student and talked endless for 4 hours. I'm surprised none of us came back out with a sore throat. On that note, the youths' eagerness to learn really touches me. They do their homework with great attention and effort, while I'm sure none of us would have attended to our homework with such great detail. Their efforts and positive learning attitude really shines through.

On that note, I had some colourful Post-Its sticking out of my Resource book and the kids kept on pointing to them. I gave it to them and they started to stick it around the walls and around their foreheads and just smiled and laughed and chuckled. You should really see how they huddled around Eiston's camera to look at their own silly faces. They are such happy children. Materialism does corrupt people, eh?

So, after the morning session, Eiston Alia and I went to the Saturday market in the City Centre to look for souvenirs. Alia could totally pass for a local, and when the vendors approached her, she told them to talk to us because she has everything in her house. Well, the vendors definitely attacked us, telling us that, "She gave permission to talk to you." Eiston and I were, speechless. Haha, I mean, come talk to us, no permission needed. Anyway, as all that was happening, this man started to talk to Alia and totally ignored his business when two customers desparately tried to gain his attention. Well, Alia suddenly became hot in Africa. Throughout these 7 days, you have no idea how many guys tried to get her attention and offering to buy her drinks. The big story came when we were grocery shopping at Nakumatt today. The bagger (people who put our groceries in the bag) offered to pay her dowry. The conversation went like this:

Bagger: I want to steal her away from you.
Kathy: You can't steal her away. She's mine.
Bagger: I will pay for her dowry.
Kathy: You can't afford it.

Well, haha, we had an interesting conversation about how beauty standards here are so different from Canada's. But nonetheless, Alia is beautiful and hot everywhere.

Well, Nancy had a marriage proposal already. Alia seems to be getting lots. I wonder if all of us are willing to leave this special place after our program is over.

Today... is Sunday. Well, currently we are in our Guesthouse with no running water. Apparently there is water shortage in the entire city.

We slept in for a bit, while Brit went for her animal counting connection building safari (I have ho idea what that is... but she refers to it as the counting trip) and Sarah is off visiting her family friend, the rest of us with Nancy went to Bomas of Kenya to see the different huts of the tribes. To be honest, none of us can really tell the difference. Then we enjoyed almost two hours of African music and dance. I also wanted to say that Eiston and Brit are the best roommate because we are laughing in their room but they are both sleeping and oblivious to what's happening to the rest of the world.

Anyway, I think that's enough update for now. "Back to school" tomorrow eh?

Posted by Josephine Wong

You Learn Something New Everyday

Lesson of the day:
Do not take photographs of government buildings in Kenya. If you do, the nice man with the angry look and the AK-47 will come up to you and formally inform you that it is illegal to do so and proceed to detlete the pictures you have taken or proceed to arrest you if this is a problem
Lesson learned, do not take photographs of goverment buildings in Kenya.

Kathy


Posted by Kathy Cochrane

Our Kiberan Students

While we have somewhere between 15 and 20 students in our class, before we arrived we chose 4 with whom we'd work more intensively in the afternoons to make sure that they would get their business plans in great shape by the time our program ended. Our selections were based on the clarity of the business idea applicants had. On the first day, we asked the four whom we plan to work with most closely to tell us a bit about themselves. We thought you might enjoy meeting them:

Quin
Quin's is our only female student. She's a lovely young woman of 19. Her dad died when she was 7, her mom when she was 8, so she was raised by her aunt. She finished Form 4 (i.e., grade 12). She said that she didn't have good enough marks to get into university. She commented of herself that she managed to get through her teen years without experiencing most of the difficulties of many female teens in Kenya: marriage, children, AIDS--she was very proud that she had accomplished this. She doesn't want to marry, or at least not in the near future, because she wants to be independent and make a life for herself. She feels that by going through her teens without some of the "normal" difficulties, she has been able to show others that this can make a difference in one's life. Her greatest hope is to contribute money to an orphanage, to help young children who have lost their parents, and she intends for the profits from the business idea she has (to sell indigenous bananas to retailers in the Kibera community) to go to an orphanage. She has set a goal for herself of going to college in 3 years, so she wants the business to help her be financially stable. She wants to study journalism.

Canto
Canto finished Form 2 (10th grade). He's about 19. He's the product of a broken home, and was raised by his dad, who died in 2001. His dad's death led to him dropping out of school, because he didn't have the finances to continue (schooling is free, but uniforms and books are not.) He started living with his mom after his dad's death, but there are 4 other younger kids. His mother doesn't make enough money to sustain all of them, and since he's the oldest, she really can't give him much help. He noted that he tries to do small jobs, but because he hasn't finished school, it's hard to find a better job. He said he saw working with us as an opportunity, and when he saw the application form, he prayed that he would be chosen by us. He wants to sell fish from the Lakes here, providing a better quality product than what is available currently in Kibera. With the profits from his business he want to earn money to go to school, help some of the other orphans, and also try to grow the business so that he could employ uneducated youths who need jobs.

Steven
Steven is a little older than the other students, perhaps in his mid-20s. He's been living in Kibera for the past five years, finished high school, and managed to go to a polytechnic, where he studied information technology. He recognizes the value of having access to the world through the internet, and wants to set up a Cyber Cafe in Kibera, so that young people would have more access to information. Otherwise, they have to go to Cyber Cafes in town, which is not always easy for them to do. He feels that access to computers could help the people of Kibera be more empowered, and he wants to be able to educate people on using technology
so that they can do more for themselves.

Patrick
Patrick, about 20, lost both of his parents when he was 11. He had to move around among family members, and said he had no real family stability growing up. Patrick had polio as an infant, and as a result of medical mistreatment he drags one of his legs, using a stick to help him get around. He was able to start Form 4, but because of fees, he did not finish it. For that past 3 years he has been helping a cousin run a kerosene depot. He wants to sell kerosene in very small quantities--people buy kerosene to cook with, but they can't always afford it in the quantities sold, so he wants to fill this niche. He noted that some people try to buy just the amount they need in the morning, and then go back out in the evening to buy what they need for dinner. This suggests that in between, they are faced with finding money to buy more. Because kerosene sellers are reluctant to sell small quantities, it is difficult for some people to have kerosene on a given day to cook a meal. He also wants to sell pure, refined kerosene. The students told us that some people sell contaminated kerosene that has been known to blow up and injure people, and burn down dwellings. One other interesting fact about Patrick's potential business: Because Kibera is a slum (of over a million people), it's existence is dependent on the government, who at any time could come in and tell people that they have to leave. Where they would go is another question. The government is planning to tear out the electricity in some sections of the slum (we haven't had the time to walk around much, but when I was in Soweto in South Africa last year, I learned that slum dwellers there tapped into the electrical supplies of "legitimate" homeowners, and then created their own electrical network from these taps, so I imagine it is a similar situation here.) If the government does turn off the electricity here, more people will need kerosene to cook.

As you can see, the lives of people here are not like our own.


Posted by Nancy Langton

The Massai Experience

So, today is our marketing survey day. We split into two groups with the intensive-four - the first group is made up of Canto (African youth), Steve (African youth), Alia and Me, and the other is made up of Quin (African youth), Frank (African youth), Patrick (African youth), Eiston, Sarah and Nancy.

As we walked around Kibera slum, many people were staring at us and the children kept on calling us "Mazungu", meaning white people. I find it very funny because neither Alia nor I are anywhere near being "white". The children kept on wanting to touch me and gave me their hands, and they were so happy when I shook hands with them. Their genuine smiles always touch my heart.

The slum is hot and there is no running water. The trenches are filled with muddy water in which people wash their food with. I saw people boiling beef intestines, selling fish heads and bones, flies everywhere, and goats eating garbage. There were many dogs lying around too. Yesterday I saw a dog being surrounded by garbage and flies and I asked James, this African youth if it was dead. He said it was not, but Brit told me today that he was just being nice and the dog was actually dead. Interestingly, we saw some bathroom stalls and a water tank that's painted "Donated by Constant Gardener".

Now comes the real experience. As Canto and Steve went around to interview people, Alia and I were just standing around the corner. This old man, around 60 years old dressed in Massai costume, came to me and Alia and started shaking our hands. This was not unusual as I felt like the entire community is shaking our hands, especially with Canto around, since he is a football player everybody knows him. Anyway, this old man took my hand and asked me to wrap my hand around his walking stick, so did Alia and three other people. He then chanted and put the tip of his tongue on his walking stick. I think one of the people saw that I was quite frightened and told me that this is a spiritual ceremony and that settled my mind a little.

And then, he would not let me and Alia go. He then proceeded to kiss Alia on each side of her neck. I saw Alia cringe and I got really scared because Alia is always so calm and poised and know exactly what's happening. She being scared really freaked me out. And guess what, obviously the man came and kiss me too and I got really scared.

And then, he took his ID card out and asked me to hold it and bless him telling him that God will give him everything. I did as he wanted me to, but I felt really sour at that moment because I did not feel right to tell someone that God will bless him. This is not only because I am not religious in the first place, but I feel very weird that people here look upon me so highly because I have paler skin, but nowhere near what a real "Mazungu" looks like, not like I feel that real Mazungu should have any privilege just being the race that he/she may be.

By this time, there were more than a dozen people who surrounded us. At this time Steve and Canto were still oblivious as to what is happening. When Canto finally finished and came to our rescue and told the man to go away, I was really quite shaken, although with a smile on my face. He let me know that the man was a little crazy.

I feel that although people in Kibera live in poverty, there is a great sense of community. I do not even know the names of my neighbours, what a shame. In the stuffy classroom packed with 20 and more people, the youths never show any signs of slight discomfort, sponging up every single detail that we say. I feel ashamed that we complain about 8:30am classes and fall asleep to blame that our professors are too boring. There is no excuse to do bad in anything having the privilege to live in the developed world.


Posted by Josephine Wong

Soccer--Levelling the Playing Field

Yesterday the Kibera and UBC students played soccer together after class. It became obvious pretty quickly that the Canadian team would be decimated if we played one country against the other. So, two teams were formed, each composed of Canadians and Kenyans. Many of the Kenyans play on soccer teams, and I don't think any of the Canadian students have played much soccer. Still the Kenyans cheered on the Canadians, and praised their performance (or their efforts when they missed the ball.) It was fun to watch. At one point a time out was called, and a member of one team was moved to the other team. Then the Kenyans declared, "now it's balanced." I was amused watching this (I was the game photographer)--the interest was in balancing the two teams, not trying to win. What a difference from the way North Americans play sports! A good time was definitely had by all, and someone declared that the final score was 3-3 (even though I gathered that one side really had won!) The photos show the team efforts: 1) the UBC and Kibera students playing soccer; 2) Sarah, Eiston, and Alia somehow outran the Kenyans and are waiting for the ball to come to them; 3) Alia decides to try out for a place on the Kenyan track team; 4) Sarah puts her best effort into being a team member.


Posted by Nancy Langton

Gotta love the do-ers

Our group of participants keeps growing. The general trend with classes at UBC is that after the first day of classes a handful of people will dropout. This is possibly because the lecturer bores them, the syllabus is too demanding or the class just wasn’t what that individual was hoping for.

In our tiny room appropriate for 10, youth continue to flock to our workshops and we continue to welcome them - to the extent that people are standing outside the door and peering through the window.

Free education is a rarity in Kenya, let alone the slums of Kibera and therefore seems to be much appreciated.

Outside of the confines of our conference room is a trendy young woman named Laura who works with beads to create jewelry, Kenyan style. With the assistance of Meredan, a Dutch women, probably in her mid to late 20’s, they work together to create a successful business to support Laura’s livelihood, Fair Trade style. The beads and other supplies for Laura’s creations are bought from the Massai Market, Laura then spends hours making her finished products (bracelets, necklaces, earrings), and they are exported to Meredan’s contacts in the Netherlands, Sweden and France who own African themed shops. This small scale exporting business may be an example of a microbusiness that will help the Kiberan people alleviate the poverty they live in.

Yesterday we attempted to play football with the extremely fit Kenyans. Although our football skills were kind of lacking, it was pretty fun. The tables turned a little bit when we brought out the Frisbee.

Tonight we’re partying it up at the Canadian embassy, should be fun times.


Posted by Brittany Baum

Kung Fu Fighting

I think Eiston really summed up my feelings about the cultural stereotypes. As an extension of that post... want to share a short interesting note:

Frank, one of the Kenyan youths, asked me if I knew anything about HK. I told him I was born there and he started to ask me about Jackie Chan. He said if I walk around the slum with my wallet flashy around my wrist I will be the safest person of the group because people here will think that I know kung-fu.

I wonder how true that is, but I don't think I will risk trying that out. Just in case. I really don't know how to fight, haha.

On a side note, we played soccer (called football here) and ultimate with the Kenyan youths. I did not play soccer because my sprained ankle is still very weak and I did not want to have to start limping around Kibera if I get hurt again. But anyway, the people here are so nice and encouraging. When I played team sports in Canada, people get angry very easily if you cannot do things properly, but people here are so encouraging and supportive - and appreciative that you have tried. It is true teamwork and not vying to win.

I am falling in love with this place. Without lavish clothes, shampoo, conditioner... they are the happiest people I have ever seen. In the West there are depression and numerous anxiety disorders despite the fact that we are so rich (we really are). The smiles of the children here gathering around our digital cameras are the most genuine I have ever seen.


Posted by Josephine Wong

Market your self!

Today was great. After a review session, to which everyone expected turned up on time, Alia and Sarah did a phenomenal job of the Marketing Workshop. This was by far the longest workshop, and yet they handled it so well, it went better than any of us could have asked for. The participants were so engaged the entire time, they were constantly taking notes (especially Frank!) as well as asking questions of the intricacies of the Marketing World.

Even at the very end, after two intense hours of hard learning, they were laughing and making suggestions throughout the skit that Sarah, Josie and Alia created.
After, we had an equally productive Break Out Session that resulted in5 marketing surveys being created as well as two other participants working towards other parts of their business plans.

Because we had a long, tiring day that used up far too much brain power, we played soccer (football) with a number of the participants. We were more entertainment fodder than useful players, but everyone had a good time none the less (the youth were actually constantly encouraging us, even though our skills were somewhat lacking). Teaching them how to play Frisbee was somewhat redemptive and fun at the same time.

It is really neat to see how much more comfortable everyone is becoming; cartoon- or william but on a lady's wig and pretended to be his cousin for us- it was great.
This has gone so well so far, and I am so proud of all of us (the youth and the team) for working so hard to make this happen, and make it amazing.
Day 3 out.

Kathy


Posted by Kathy Cochrane

Cultural Stereotypes

So the 2nd day went by as quickly as the sleep I've been getting in Nairobi (endless works had kept me up late at night unfortunately.)

We arrived early at 9am and we prepped until classes started at 10am.

It's interesting in our concept of stereotyping cultures. The few days that we had spent here have taught us what "African time" means-- if you want someone to arrive promptly at, for say, 9am, you'd tell them to arrive at 8:30am. To combat this concept, we had purposefully start off our morning with a Q+A (unstructured), in hope to combat this cultural norm.

But interestingly, perhaps as results of setting group norms, expectations, or even as simple as respect, the youths surprisingly arrived at ten to 10am. Another surprise came when Patrick, one of the four youths with the winning proposal, came into the door and showed us his homework-- 4 assigned pages fully completed. We really didn't expect much of these youths will actually do their homework (perhaps we are thinking of ourselves in Canada). Are stereotypes always true? Of course not.

We had a finance workshop today with Dr Waema-- a finance professor/ banker from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi. He commented of how pleased he was with our choice of location-- somewhere convenient to our participants, and somewhere which reflected the current hardships-- not anywhere fancy, intimidating, which further exaggerated the class differences. He talked on for about two and a half hours, and surprising the youths were listening sincerely, taking notes, and fully participating. This is so unlike any university lectures that I've ever sat on. To sum up Dr. Waema's charismatic speech, "opportunities is all that are needed, and poverty is in our hands to eliminate."

On a side note, we hope to quantify our education successes. We gave the youths a test today and we are going to give the same test by the end of our project, in hope for some significant improvements. The results were not bad: mean-- 63%; median-- 57%. But of course, we hope that in about two weeks time, everyone will be in the 90's range-- or at least that's what all teachers hope in every class that they teach.

And for myself, Dr. Waema discussed his interest in researching about cultural management practices-- and specifically in African Management characteristics (I'm sure we've heard of the Japanese Management, North American management etc.) And suddenly I'm thinking: that will be SOOOO interesting! Perhaps I'll look into it, and see if I can find myself another excuse to come to this amazing continent! (And plus, it's management research; something I'm truly excited about!)


Posted by Eiston Lo

Empowerment

So, as Sarah and Eiston posted, our project finally started. I was teaching our first workshop with Eiston yesterday and we were truly amazed by the students' willingness to learn, participation, language skills, and their appreciation of us being there. Even though life is tough, they are the happiest people I've ever seen, way happier than in Vancouver.

I saw students looking out of the school bus in their uniforms, which reminds me of myself when I went to elementary school in HK. But instead of weary faces, they are all smiling and waving to us, shouting to us, "How are you?"

Word of the day: Condiments

I think I was not thinking when I was typing some of the paragraphs up in our "textbook" and I just put that word down. It was funny trying to explain this to them. I'm glad that people are willing to share with us what they know and what they not know without being shy. When I asked if anyone wanted to read out the paragraphs in the book so many people were willing to volunteer, something that I have not encountered in my 15 years of education both in Vancouver and HK. I remember when I was little (and still do) when my mom gives me Chinese lessons she will make me read out the poems and essays and I really enjoyed that. Seeing the students doing the same really warms my heart and brings back some warm moments of my childhood and education experience too. I have done workshops before when I was in high school to "junior grade" students but I have never felt so intrinsically motivated, satisfied, and appreciated as I feel now. It's really quite special feeling.

My mom is a teacher too, and since I was young, she told me that education is a meaningful profession because it is about knowledge empowerment and we should never become a teacher just for money or because there is nothing else to do. I never really understood what it truly meant until yesterday.

One of the proposals that we chose to work with was a girl who wanted to operate a wholesale banana kiosk in Kibera slum. I spoke with her personally today, and she told me how she had refused to follow the norm to get married and have kids. She said she can have a future of her own and take life in her own hands and not depend on men. I cannot say it any better than she does and that really touched my heart. I am so glad to be here because many people who I know are more fortunate and live in Vancouver - they think about marrying rich. You will not believe how intelligent these people are.

We had a university professor come in to talk to the students today, and he said, "Yes, we are poor, but that is no excuse to stay poor." This is very well put - we may be born underpriviliged, but we have the tools and means to advance our own lives if we are determined to do so. It is quite the inspiration.

On a side note, here are some fun facts:

- People love my hair. They asked me if I dyed it or if my hair actually has two different colours. They don't believe that my hair turns out the way that it does without blowdrying. Shampooing and conditioning daily is quite the luxury in living standards here.

- The average income is 8USD/week

- We have had Indian and American food so far. Food is cheap and we don't really have a lot of lunch because we are in the slum, but we are well fed with regular meals.

- Brit slapped a moth in my face last night and it was quite the drama and amusing for the receptionist at the guest house.

Students here are very intelligent and they have the same dreams as we do, if not more ambitious. It is truly inspiring and being so fortunate to live in Vancouver, none of us should complain about homework anymore - anybody can achieve his/her dreams if he/she sets his/her mind to it.

Posted by Josephine Wong