Tomorrow I am going to Kibera with seasoned ex-jounralist John Mchaffie. This will be my first time visiting the largest slum in African and home territory of Prime Minister Raila. I am having trouble wrapping my head around the sheer enormity of what has been described to me. Smack in the middle of Nairobi, this 1 million + slum occupies only 4 miles squared. It is 1/6 of Manhattan but with 2/3 of the population. Divided into 13 villages (conceptually they remind of districts) it is undoubtedly a social tragedy and some would suggest an anthropological experiment. The average home size is 3 by 3 meters, housing anywhere from 2 to 12 people, with an estimated HIV infection rate of 50%.
Two years ago the Rita and Charles Field-Marsham Foundation gave books to a primary school called Anwa Academy. This school was recommended specifically by Carolina for Kibera – an outstanding organization in its own right that. I am not entirely sure what to expect but am looking forward to seeing how the books have/are being used by the students.