A Taste of Home

This morning I woke up and had the great opportunity to go to a meeting about starting a merry-go-round in Kibera. A merry-go-round is basically a fund of money that everyone contributes a certain amount to each month and then all of the money goes to one person. Each month a different person who receives the money. This type of fund helps people start businesses, improve their homes, and just access a greater sum of money at one time then they normally would be able to. There was a small group of about 8 friends who wanted to start this merry-go-round and they asked me to come to the meeting and help them work out the logistics. I am learning so much about Kibera—the every day struggles, the sense of community, and the strength and determination of the people.

Today was the day I was meeting with Melanie and so a bunch of my friends walked with me to meet her. It was crazy walking down the street with all of these friends and just feeling so blessed. I somehow managed to immerse myself in this wonderful community halfway around the world in one of the largest slums of the world. These people are my friends, my family…and I really hope that I will be able to maintain my relationship with them after I leave. I had some difficulty finding Melanie and I felt horrible to keep her waiting, but finally we found each other! It was so cool to see her because the first time I met her was in Washington DC before I had ever worked for MGEF.

Melanie and I went to her home with two other women whose names are Jocelyn and Jackie. Jocelyn and Jackie have been working and living in Kibera for almost a year now for an organization called Children of Kibera. They had some experience teaching self-esteem and life skills and we wanted to hear their advice. It was incredible to hear about their experiences (the good and the bad) and to just share stories and ideas. Melanie and I also got to talk about MGEF a lot and it was nice to process all of my work with someone. It was also wonderful to meet Melanie’s family and be welcomed into her home! I didn’t realize how much I missed the little things in life—like a hot shower, a bug-less room, and ice cubes! Melanie has a great family and we just spent the night telling stories, laughing, and listening to music. I am so grateful to Melanie for just accepting me into her home and treating me like a daughter!