Day 3 (part 1) –
“Today we will be going to a slum. I am hesitant to say what I think it will be like because it probably isn’t something I can imagine. I pray that my heart will break for what breaks His.”
Mathare Valley slum is one of many slums in Nairobi, Kenya and home to 90,000 people within 3 square miles. I have seen poverty during Mexico missions trips, but this is different.
We went to visit a church on the edge of the slum called Mathare Worship Centre started by Pastor Karau (a good friend of our wonderful directors). It is now a school, community centre of sorts, a store (Pamba Toto) to benefit Sanctuary of Hope homes for orphans, and a church all in one.
I will probably quote from my journal more in this entry because the memory was fresher then.
On our way into the valley we could see some houses on the outskirts which was nothing compared to being in the slum itself. We were welcomed (karibu) into the worship centre for a brief introduction and presentations from the grades in the school upstairs. The children recited poems and sang songs for us with smiles on their faces atop straight, proud necks.
Then we split into 4 groups, toured the facility, and were introduced to the guides (they all lived in the slum) who would take us around Mathare. My group headed into the heart of the valley with our guide as we passed a drunken man asking us for money. As Americans, we were expected (not necessarily by our brothers and sisters in Christ) to have money to pass out. At first, I didn’t really know what to think. We saw children running up to us or waving enthusiastically and chanting in a sing-song melody “how are you, how are you?” The excitement and joy on their faces threw me for a loop as it contrasted the contempt of most of the adults. My emotions were confused because I expected utter dispare. Our guide explained that clean water costs 2 ksh (90 ksh ~ 1 usd) for one jug and the huts (the roofs made of about 4 metal sheets – can reasonably fit two people, but are home to about 5) cost the equivalent to $200 usd a month. That adds up for those whose income is much smaller than the average college student's salary.
We first walked to the river. There is a river full of trash, sewage, and soot running through the heart of the valley past many huts. Many people take the "water" from the river and somehow make an alcoholic drink to sell for profit. The smell was overpowering – when I took a breath it was planned. Children were playing next to sewage and trash piles, the women were washing clothes with black water…it was like watching a movie. Was this real? The air was polluted with the smell of diesel without much fresh air, and when I found a rare pocket I took advantage of it for as long as it lasted. The river is where most of the sewage collects and where houses sit next to with their gardens and fruit/vegetable stands by the piles; the owners need money to live no matter how unsanitary the conditions are (that is an afterthought). We had to watch our step as to avoid the human feces on the ground below our feet, yet that was something the children stepped in every day. We had to avoid touching our faces with our hands to protect from possible typhoid especially after the children held our hands as we walked.
Our guide continued to lead us deeper into the slum and we eventually came to her little apartment that is shared with her mother and brother. She told us her story: she was sponsored by Compassion International, but that only paid for her education (and only the sponsored kids get help - which is only a small fraction). She told us stories of how God has provided and we marveled at the miracle that stood before us in her apartment that was crowded by only 6 of us. I was filled with awe as her face reflected pride in where she comes from and in the hope of the people of Mathare especially the children. There is a ministry she works with as a singing coach to children of the slum. Her passion is in showing them how to nurture their gifts of singing thus providing self-confidence and most importantly spiritual guidance. Mathare is not a place of desperation anymore. There IS hope. “We cannot afford much, but we can certainly afford to smile.” I was overwhelmed sitting in our guide’s house and seeing her passion for God and everything in her life. She sang for us a song as I choked on tears which are now coming back as I recollect the moment of basking in her optimism and faith.
We then headed back to the church. Our fearless leader/director stood and spoke to all of us about what we all saw and experienced so we could debrief together. The whole trip up to this point we had been reciting one of our mottoes, “it’s not right, it’s not wrong, it’s just different” because it helps gain perspective when one is in a new culture. I have a vivid picture of Brian standing before us and saying, “but this is NOT right.” The scenes we saw that day should disturb us. Children growing up in that environment did not choose to be there. They didn’t ask to be born there and yet they face the consequences of poverty and struggle that had been passed on to them. Yet the world goes on paying them no mind. How many times do we pay excessive amounts for coffee, get upset when we have to take cold showers, complain that there is nothing to eat in the fridge full of food....how many times in one week!!?? My tears continued to fall as we all raised our voices in prayer together for the slum, the church and its ministry. The murmur of voices of us all rose to a crescendo while I placed my hand and head on the wall of the church as my voice praised and pleaded with my God. I had never felt more helpless and overwhelmed, and yet I was determined to take the responsibility of what I saw that day. I can make changes in my life for those children and others living there.
I learned many things within those hours spent in Mathare Valley. One important thing I should share is that throwing money to those people won’t help. It all comes back to that repeated phrase:
“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime.”
One other important truth, God is in every crack and crevice in places of desperation fighting for the souls of those people.
…to be continued.
Link:
http://www.pambatoto.com/
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