ISSA

Tomorrow I start my externship with ISSA the Initiative for Sports and Social Arts in Kibera. Kibera is an informal settlement (we use informal settlement instead of slum) inside of Nairobi proper. Almost 75% of the population of Nairobi lives in an informal settlement like Kibera. The informal settlements use about 4% of the land in Nairobi. So, 75% of the people live in tin, wood or mud houses on 4% of the land. It is crowded to say the least. ISSA works primarily with youth (I must define youth in the African context; you are considered a youth until you are over 30 yrs of age or you have a family of your own). ISSA is gearing up for their Mr. and Ms. Kibera Pageant. The contestants are of all ages and will chosen to finalist based on special talents and public speaking. The finalists will be trained by ISSA staff and volunteers in reading, writing, public speaking, cat walking, HIV/AIDS and other community concern. Who ever wins Mr. or Ms. Kibera become spokespersons for the theme of the contest Beauty and Care. The community of Kibera treats them like superstars and they are invited all over the city to speak about the day to day issues the community of Kibera and other informal settlements are confronted with. Tomorrow I will begin working with the program officers and other staff on the pageant but eventually I will hopefully be helping them get certified through a strategic management program so that they can start applying for grants for more funding. ISSA is a relatively new NGO and is looking for lots of institutional support and guidance. I am very excited to be involved in grassroots development.
Aside from school and externships, last night we had a bbq at our country director's office. We ate lots of nyama choma (bbq meat), chapati and kachumbari on blankets on the grass! All Kenyan staples. We learned traditional dance and listened to talking drums! I will try and upload pictures and videos of the party to my flickr account, (a link on the bottom of the blog) asap.