Amina

To describe Amina I need to speak of her in both past and present tense. For the Amina of the past has died but the Amina of the present is vibrantly alive. I met Amina during my first visit to Kenya and Korogocho slum; home to over 300,000 people living within one square mile without access to clean water, electricity, or proper housing. We walked down tin hut lined dirt roads vigilant of our surroundings and the potential danger of being a "tourist" in one of the most dangerous slums in Africa. Residents eyes were upon us watching us with curiosity and apprehension. Walking into her home you need to duck beneath a low dirt ceiling for her home is about the size of a small walk in closet. Sitting before us is Amina and her 8 year old daughter Nuria. Her house consists of one pan, some cooking oil, and a bench with some old blankets which is the bed for herself, her daughter, and her 3 year old son. She welcomes us with a frail voice as she stares down at the ground holding onto her daughter's hand. She is painfully shy and her eyes only speak of suffering. Her daughter Nuria sits on their bed, her knobby knees dangle down and her legs look like dark brown toothpicks. Amina and Nuria are HIV positive and receive free medication through the Kenyan government but most days they are unable to take it for they have no food, and taking the medication without food in their stomachs makes them very ill. We speak to her with the help of a translator, she begins to speak a prayer in Swahili and that is when I begin to unravel. Nuria lets out the most pain filled cry I have ever heard come from a child; a cry of utter trauma and disappointment for she feels cheated out of life and a childhood. I begin to sob unable unable to hold it in, for this is the darkest human suffering I have ever seen.

That was the Amina and Nuria of the past for upon my return three months later a new woman had emerged; a woman filled with grace, dignity, and radiating joy. Within these past months Amina had become part of a HUB sponsored microloan group, starting her own business selling coal and being a part of a woman's craft group. She now hugs me with such strength and when I look into her eyes I see hope. She now welcomes us with song and begins to dance with all her heart. The group leader tells me that she is the most animated and motivated woman in the group. Her body looks healthy for she can now afford food. Amina tells me about the overwhelming gratitude she feels each day now, and that she wakes up each morning thanking God, for her cupboard is full and her children are fed. Nuria is beautiful and now spends her day playing kick ball in the streets and attending the local school.

Not all stories that start out like this have a happy ending, to be honest most do not, but this is one that does and that is why I wanted to share it, so that we can once again remember the power that we all have to change our present circumstances. Amina is a woman who will continue to remind me of this lesson, and when I close my eyes at night I hold her in my heart hoping that she and her family will continue to thrive. Thank you Amina.

HOPE Self Empowerment Group

Walking into their tin hut constructed workshop I am overwhelmed by their gracious smiles. Just moments before I thought that I would be entering a empty workshop, but before me is an abundance of beautiful crafts all handmade in one weeks time by the women of HOPE Self Empowerment Group. The women stand behind the tables of crafts with such pride for all that they have made and all they are and hope to become. Brightly colored jewelery fills the tables and hand dyed batiks hang from the walls. Each woman introduces themselves and begins to tell their story. Each story is one of suffering but each story is what has propelled them to join this group and start life anew. The eldest of the group Lucy begins to speak, her voice is so frail and she is reluctant to make eye contact. She speaks of the death of her children, 7 of her children have died, and she lost 3 of her grandchildren in one day in a road accident. She is now a widow and has felt abandoned and alone. As I look around I see that every women in the group is crying for the pain and joy of one is the pain and joy of the whole community. They feel Lucy's pain as though it were there own, for many have the same story. Each one's story goes deeper and deeper into the depths of despair but still songs continue to flow from their mouths and the dancing begins. Helen a Massai women in the group begins to lead us all in a traditional song a dance within moments the whole group is singing along and beaming from ear to ear. The room is filled with the palpable energy of hope and new beginnings.
These women are now part of the HOPE microloan group, and each have their own individual small businesses and are also all a part of a collective craft group. In November I returned from Kenya after being with this group a year after this was written, and their faces are hard to recognize for each one has become a new woman, an empowered, strong, courageous woman!!!!

Massai

As we leave Nairobi the air becomes breathable and the landscape abundant. Dust begins to cover the windshield as we head out to Massai country. The land is dry but the beauty of the open landscape is overwhelming. There is nothing for hundreds and hundreds of miles only sparse acacia trees and cows, and lots of them. When we arrive we are greeted by the sweetest Massai woman,their is one woman in the group who looks like she must be 100 years old, with each wrinkle showing the hardships of her nomadic life. Her ears are stretched and filled with heavy beaded earrings elongating her fragile earlobes. A permanent smile is upon my face as I sit with these wise, untouched souls. They speak of their challenges, the lack of water in their area and their concern for the young girls of their community. Many girls are being forced into marriage as young as 12 years old due to lack of any other option and the need to sustain their families. The issue of female genital mutilation arises and the desire to bring more awareness to this taboo issue. We do not speak the same language but when they touch my head I know we are communicating on a deeper level. The group gathers to sing their songs of praises for we (HUB) have come their to buy their crafts and provide a market for them.
This is a day that will forever be embedded in my soul, for the Massai represent to me a link to the past, one that has been forgotten and struggles to remain.

Angels of Kibera

"I want to be a journalist", "I want to own my own business", "I want to empower young girls"; These are the voices of Kibera; voices of young girls who have grown up in one of the most dangerous slums in the world. I walk through the small alley ways of Kibera being careful to step lightly for my feet are sinking into what appears to be mud but the smell tells me otherwise. Tetanus filled tin blows in the wind as I walk by children you ask "How are you". This always seems to be a consistent one liner when in the slums of Africa. Men gather together in their mud homes as the women sit outside rinsing their laundry and ringing it out over the sewage. Their is an aliveness in Kibera and order that you can feel amongst what appears to be utter chaos, a community that feels united in spite of the turmoil of everyday life.

"Do not be the dead sea"; this is the line I will leave you with, a line that was spoken to me the day I was in Kibera, these words came out of the mouth of a 15 year old girl from Kibera, she told us that she refuses to be the dead sea, a stagnant body of water that breeds no life or purpose, she is here to be powerful, to be used, and to be fully alive.

"Farewell for Now"

Well we have arrived back in the United States after the most heart-opening two weeks of my life. You will find when you go to Africa that it is not entering Africa that gives you the culture shock but it is upon return to the U.S. that you become a little freaked out. Freaked out by the unnecessary amount of things we consider necessities. There is something about Africa that always calls me back, an on this past trip I finally realized what that was- it is the feeling and total witnessing of the fragility of life; and though recognizing the fragility of our lives we begin to appreciate every moment and look at each new day as a gift and an unknown adventure. Nothing in Africa is planned or organized, it is chaotic, but there is a strange order in that chaos and a stillness that runs through it all, a stillness that I have never felt in any other place. This stillness and connection with a divine source is what I believe fuels the unbelievable strength of the human spirit that I witness time and time again throughout Africa. The spirits in the tin sheds who are HIV positive and alone but still say thank you God. The spirits that we thrown into garbage cans when they were babies but still sing loud and dance with so much joy. Thank you Africa for showing me your true self, for sharing your stories and wisdom, and above all showing me the potential of the human spirit.

"Taking Action"

It has almost been a week since I returned from Kenya, a trip that has once again impacted my life in ways I still do not know. The songs, smiles, and smells of Africa have enlivened my soul, creating an overwhelming sense of contentment and an urgency to take action. The words "take action" have been ones that have haunted me my whole life, creating in me a sense of guilt and responsibility, thinking that I am not doing enough or worrying that I am hindering the lives of the people I am trying to help by pushing western ideals and not really hearing what the needs of a community or individual are.

This trip brought clarity to what the words "take action" truly mean to me through the voices of the women in Korogocho and through the unwavering service of one woman named Rachael; a woman who truly embodies compassion and selfless service in every aspect of her life. On this trip I have realized that to "take action" means to be present with the situation, and to listen, really listen, to the needs, letting go of your individual agenda and doing what needs to be done in that moment. I have learned that to "take action" means to be a partner and recognize that the people that know best are the local people of that community who have lived through every situation imaginable and hold so much wisdom. I have learned that to "take action" means to empower individuals rather than see them as a victim of their circumstances. This lesson has come from the face of Angela, who over a year ago I met in her dark cavern-like home in Korogocho, who now dances with such gratitude and has such strength in her voice.

The Girls of Kibera

Walking into the slums of Kibera home to over 1 million people you feel as though you have gone back in time. Mud homes fill the tiny trash filled ally ways and the smell of burning trash fills the air. Kibera the second largest slum in the world is a place that is often feared due to violence, a high rate of HIV/AIDS, and an overwhelmingly impoverished community.
In the midst of this chaotic, intense environment stands a beacon of hope, Carolina For Kibera’s Binti Pamoja Center. Established in 2002 this program is committed to empowering the young girls of Kibera through providing a safe space for issues of violence, rape, HIV/AIDS, abuse, prostitution, and reproductive rights to be explored. Through the use of photography, drama, writing, and discussion these young girls ages 11-18 are empowered to be leaders in their community and change the world one girl at a time. Being with these girls you know that you are amongst some of the great leaders of the future that will be a part of changing the history of their community, their nation, and the world.
The Binti Pamoja Center needs our help in supporting these amazing girls through high school. In Kenya primary school is free, but secondary school comes at a fee preventing many of these girls from being able to attend further education. With your help we can help these courageous girls fulfill their dreams of being business owners, teachers, journalists, and world leaders. Named Time Magazines “Hero of Global Health”, Carolina For Kibera is a program that is creating vast and lasting impact and one that I have been honored to visit. during HUB’s Purposing Your Brilliance. For more information on how to support these courageous young girls please go to:

http://www.hubhub.org/hubsandbox/global-marketplace/product?pid=244&store=3
or
http://cfk.unc.edu