Written by Ryan Scott McGuirt, CFK Africa volunteer and Assistant Director of Development, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
Poor water quality, malnutrition, lagging education, insufficient housing, a lack of jobs…
At a quick glance, this list, though far from all inclusive, is relatable for millions of people around the world, however, my time in Kenya volunteering with CFK Africa gave me a new understanding of how relatable these issues can be. While the magnitude of these great challenges is faced on a scale that was seemingly unimaginable to me just a few weeks ago, they felt all too similar sitting in the roughly 100 square foot home of a young teen mother living in Kibera, an outskirt of Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi.
As a native North Carolinian, I’ve spent the first three decades of my life as most others do, having only seen the despair of informal settlements through a screen, be it television, a computer or my phone. I’ve done my best to pretend that I fully comprehend the struggles of feeding a child on the equivalent of just pennies a day or living with a large family in a small space built of dirt walls and a thin sheet metal roof.
To that point, while the videos and images relayed around the world tell a compelling story, they fall amazingly short in truly illustrating what’s being faced by those living under these conditions every day. Though I’m now back home in Chapel Hill, my mind continues to try to wrap itself around the sights and sounds of Kibera. I realize my brief stay was hardly a glimpse into the true depth of these problems, but it was more than enough time to grasp how commonly human they are. While the people I met and worked with in Kenya may seem nothing like me to the eye or ear, the differences between us are trivial and the things that connect us are overwhelming.
Regardless of our individual stories and backgrounds, ultimately, we are all bound together by our plight as human beings. There is commonality that each of us is in pursuit of something more; for ourselves, our families, our friends and our communities. It is impossible not to feel that kindness and goodwill abound, despite circumstances like those in Kibera. Even in the face of great adversity, there is no lack of spirit. The hearts and minds of the people remain steadfast, but the avenues to channel this energy are absent; true to the CFK Africa mantra, “Talent is universal, opportunity is not”.
To uplift a community of hundreds of thousands of people is no small endeavor and those who chose this undertaking are an example to be followed. It is through the work of individuals like the staff at CFK Africa that opportunities and solutions to these challenges will be brought forth.
I think we all know it, but the need for resources is critical. The need for creative thinking and an environment oriented towards solutions is even greater. Be that as it may, to look to billionaires, the government or any single entity to make it happen is the pathway to certain failure. Whether here in United States or halfway around the world in Kibera, the responsibility sits with all of us.