Providing health care to 20,000 Kibera residents
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Index of Updates from the Field
Violence in Kibera and Kenya - Update from CFK
By Rye Barcott and Kimberly Page - President and Chair, Board of Directors, January 04, 2008 06:09 PM
Friends and colleagues,
Many of you have called or e-mailed asking for information and sending your thoughts and prayers to the Carolina for Kibera (CFK) staff and volunteers who are on the ground in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. Thank you for your solidarity and support.
To our knowledge CFK staff and volunteers have suffered only one relatively minor injury as a result of the recent ethnic violence. However, large numbers of volunteers of all ages have had their houses burned and looted. There are no Americans volunteering with CFK at the moment on the ground in Kibera. CFK has kept its office and clinic closed since the election. However, today we began a short-term feeding program out of our youth center.
The violence stems from the December 27 presidential election in Kenya. At first, the election seemed to be peaceful and well orchestrated. It appeared as though the main opposition candidate, Raila Odinga, had a significant lead in the early polls. The violence began after President Kibaki was prematurely declared the winner in a small, hasty ceremony at his Presidential estate. It is unclear whether or not Kibaki won the election, but elections monitors (including the Kenyan head of the Kenyan Electoral Commission) have publicly called the election results illegitimate.
Although ethnic divisiveness is no stranger to Kenyan politics, no one anticipated the level of violence that has engulfed Kibera and much of Kenya. The situation on the ground is deteriorating rapidly as each day passes. Stores in Nairobi are looted and people, particularly the poor, are running out of food. Food prices are soaring. Large swaths of Kibera are burned to the ground. Criminal opportunists have joined the fray and there are incidents of wanton violence. Yesterday we received reports that a group of community members repelled a gang of thugs from looting and burning our youth center.
It should be noted, however, that those perpetrating the violence in Kibera number perhaps in the hundreds. Over 700,000 people, half of whom are under the age of 15, reside in the slum. Nevertheless, the level of hatred and divisiveness throughout Kenya today is unprecedented. People are afraid, and those with the means are fleeing from Kibera and other multi-ethnic communities racked by violence. Each day of violence besets the next and further solidifies more ethnic enmity.
The violence must stop now. Efforts to unite Odinga and Kibaki and encourage these leaders to lead and bring a halt to the violence have thus far been futile. None of these leaders have been on the ground in Kibera since the violence began.
In the face of this current tragedy, we must take stock of where we are as an organization. Some commentators suggest that these events signify a hopelessness of development and progress in Kenya. We who have labored on the ground with our brothers and sisters in Kibera see it much differently. We initially started CFK as a small soccer program with a hundred youths from every village and every ethnic group in Kibera. A key goal was to help promote ethnic cooperation and support the education of remarkable young leaders living in some of the most austere conditions imaginable. The violence reminds us that development depends on good governance and security. But our charge is still very clear, and even more important in light of the current bloodletting. CFK staff and volunteers are the forces and voices of positive change that will help create and sustain an equitable and peaceful society.
We will post updates about new developments to our website. If you are interested in learning more, below is a powerful UN article that features CFK and Binti Pamoja member Fatuma Roba. Her two-minute radio interview is particularly powerful. Also included is a link to a front-page article about CFK and Kibera from the Raleigh News and Observer and an insightful op-ed in the Financial Times from long-time CFK supporter and dear friend Michael Holman. Below is a graphic video of the violence in Kibera from CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/01/03/mckenzie.lok.kenya.protestor.standoff.cnn?iref=videosearch
Please keep our brave leaders and volunteers on the ground in your thoughts and prayers in the days ahead. It is likely to get worse before it gets better. If you are so inclined, we could as always use your financial support.
Tumeshukuru (Gratefully),
Rye Barcott
President and Founder
Kimberly Chapman Page
Chair, Board of Directors
You can make a donation online through GlobalGiving to support CFK or learn more at http://cfk.unc.edu
Links:
Quarterly Report from Carolina for Kibera Tabitha Clinic
By Emily Reynolds Pierce - Vice President, November 05, 2007 05:37 PM
Helen Snow, head of development for University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Medicine, and Deborah Sams recently visited Carolina for Kibera at Tabitha Medical Clinic in Nairobi. In a post on CFK's blog about their impressions of CFK and Kibera, Helen and Deborah explain,
"What struck us as we met with each of these CFK leaders was how dedicated, strategic, and caring each of them are in pursuit of their program goals. They each spoke with one voice and a strong unity of purpose. They were all careful to build a solid, sustainable plan for their respective program objectives, always being mindful that the communities of Kibera is the primary stakeholders. The CFK organization is a model for many NGO's hoping to have sustained impact. We were touched by their commitment and humbled by their ability to leverage so much action with so few resources. We hope that everyone will investigate further how they can help these inspiring young adults achieve what few others have done."
Please read the entire post here: http://carolinaforkibera.vox.com/library/post/impressions-of-carolina-for-kibera-from-two-visitors.html
This quarter, Carolina for Kibera and Tabitha Clinic are focusing on fundraising for its HIV/AIDS Prevention Program. The HIV/AIDS Prevention Program endeavors to increase HIV/AIDS preventive services by integrating Adolescents Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) information and services for youth within CFK core programs and the community at large. In addition, the program aims to increase the capacity of CFK staff to manage and implement HIV/AIDS and ASRH activities. HIV/AIDS is an area where youth in Kibera requested additional services from CFK. We hope that you will join us in supporting them to develop this program.
Finally, construction on the new, eco-friendly Tabitha Clinic continues! Attached are a few new photos of the progression.
Please keep our friends in Kibera in your thoughts and prayers over the holiday season. Many thanks for your support!
Links:
Attachments:
Meet the Tabitha Clinic Pharmacist
By Emily R Pierce - Vice President, August 15, 2007 10:23 PM
CFK's Tabitha Clinic would like our supporters in the United States to get to know the staff on the ground in Kibera. CFK Advisory Board member, Brett Bullington, sent us this video of a mini-interview he did with the Tabitha Clinic Pharmacist, Frederick Ochenge. Meet Frederick by clicking on the link to the video below!
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Construction for New Eco-Friendly Clinic for Kibera Underway!
By Emily Pierce - Vice President, July 06, 2007 05:41 PM
We just got these photos in from a couple of our volunteers this week! Kyle Bullington, a high school student from Silicon Valley CA and volunteer with our Youth Sports Program, stopped by the construction site with Tabitha Medical Clinic Director, Hillary Okhidi, after soccer practice yesterday.
Although the clinic will help CFK's Tabitha Clinic manage an increased volume of patients, CFK still needs your support! Help us train new HIV/AIDS peer educators, keep our medical lab powered, and maintain our supply of anti-malarials by donating today.
Attachments:
CFK Tabitha Medical Clinic Teams Up with the CDC!
By Emily Pierce - Vice President, June 26, 2007 06:26 PM
The Carolina for Kibera (CFK) Tabitha Medical Clinic formalized a partnership with the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) International Emerging Infections Program. As a part of the CDC's effort to track and target specific causes of morbidity in Kibera through an ongoing household surveillance program, CFK's Tabitha Medical Clinic has become the community referral clinic for over 20,000 residents to receive free health care.
Because of this new partnership, Tabitha Medical Clinic now staffs the only two full-time medical doctors in the entire Kibera slum. In order to accommodate the increased demand for the clinic's services, which now exceeds 100 patients every day, CFK broke ground this past spring on a new clinic facility. The new 16-room Tabitha Medical Clinic, will be eco-friendly, including solar panels, passive rainwater catchment, and recycled building materials. We hope that the clinic will serve as a model for appropriate building in other urban slum communities around the world.
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