At devotions DCPC Youth answer the question, "Where did you see God today?" This blog recounts our stories, the places we find ourselves in God's story, and the ways we see God working in the world around us.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Tuesday, May 15th with Hannah

Tuesday morning we headed to a coffee plantation about a little ways from Sigona. As always, we were joined by a few of the Sigona church members; they make any trip more fun! We toured the plantation, and saw how coffee beans go from seedlings to trees to ripe beans, and then I forget the rest of the process... but it is long and laborious. I'm sure I'll never forget watching two coffee-farm-working women pick through the beans, one by one, to weed out any beans that weren't good. Certainly adds a new appreciation to each cup of coffee. When you head to summit to buy your $1.46 small coffee, remember that for each 15kg bucket of beans picked, the picker gets 50 cents (remember that a 15kg bucket would produce many small cups of coffee, and it takes a long time to fill a 15kg bucket). From the coffee farm, we got a quick bite to eat, and headed to Kabira, the largest slum in Africa. 

Kabira was a jarring experience for all of us. It was a new level of poverty, and on a scale none of us had witnessed before. Much of our conversation since then has returned to our few hours in Kabira, as we begin to process our time there. They are images that will stick with us forever, and surely shape the way we view the world. We were hosted in Kabira by KENSUP, a government agency that works with UN-Habitat and other NGOs in the slum, with the goal of providing infrastructure, housing, and basic social services for those who live in the slum. It is made up of 12 villages, and we saw only one, which seemed big enough as it was. KENSUP has undertaken a big goal, and hopes to, by working one village at a time, provide sturdy homes, roads, clean water and sewer systems in all of Kabira, thus transforming the slums. It is certainly an ambitious task, but there were tangible signs of change in Kabira. 
We were all taken back by the children of Kabira, who were quick to yell out 'how are you?' as we passed by. As big as their smiles were as we paraded past, it is difficult to imagine what everyday life must be for a child of the slum. I wonder what it is like at night, when electricity is scarce and crime is abundant. There are many organizations working in Kabira, we saw several schools, and one youth center, as well as places that provided (at a small cost) clean water and decent bathrooms. Our only prayer can be that with God's help, the tremendous dedication of these organizations will bring a better tomorrow for the residents of Kabira, because the obstacles are plentiful. 
We finished our evening with another delicious meal, good devotion and reflection time, and a shorts night rest before we were off for the Masi Mara. 

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