computer training program: kibera

Kibera, as I've mentioned before, is home to one million people - Kenyans from all over the country, seeking work and the sustenance that their home villages could no longer provide. Each day this week - after learning how to hop on and off the wild and dingy matatus - an escort from Word Fellowship Centre would meet me at Nakumatt Prestige, the shopping center near an entrance to Kibera.

It would never be wise for a muzungu like myself to venture into Kibera (or particularly Mathare - a smaller, yet reputably more dangerous slum in East Nairobi) alone. Besides, I would never know the way to Word Fellowship Centre without an escort, the windy dirty alleyways in Kibera are tricky to navigate!

This week, my days were filled with bright, new encounters. I taught some basics of Microsoft Word to a handful of students at Word Fellowship Centre's one-year-old computer training program. The church has five, pretty ancient computers tucked into a small room, with one small window, and a small glowing lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. It's a bit dim, and hot, as the metal roofs in Kibera soak in all the sunshine and start to cook the people inside!

Here I met Vincent, Wycliffe, Richard, Ruth, Peter and Daniel. Richard was my first student - a man of 28 years or so who is eager to learn all about computers in order to secure a steady job. He was most excited to change fonts, toy with different alignments, and splash his document with an exciting variety of colors. For his first practice document, he wrote something like this: (keep in mind that English is his third language)
"Katharine from U.S. has met Richard from Nairobi. They are currently enjoying Microsoft Word. Thereafter, they will go on a picnic. In the evening, Katharine and Richard will attend a prayer meeting with the pastor and bishop. Katharine will be asked to introduce herself, and she will comply."
Then I met Vincent. Vincent is 21 years old. He is a super bright boy who hails from a town nearly 8 hours away, close to Kisumu. Vincent goes to church every day of the week, whether for youth group or drama club or prayer meetings. His love for God shines through. When I asked Vincent where he would choose to live - anywhere else besides the slums of Kibera - his reply was this, "I dream of going back to my home village and bringing the word of God to them, to especially the youth there. We may have a hard time here in Kibera, but at least we know Jesus here. People in my home village don't know Jesus like we do here in Kibera." His village is poor, and ministering there for life would bring him no money, no renown, but Vincent's heart is truly burdened for the youth near Kisumu. WOW. His parent's are not believers, and so they do not know of his deep passions to be in full-time ministry. He knows they would not approve of his desire to study theology at university, but I can't help wondering if their minds would change, were he to receive a scholarship from some theological institution either in Kenya or the U.S. His faith would also bless whichever Christian university accepted him.

Wycliffe had never used a keyboard before. The space bar, return key and delete button were all fascinating and sometimes discouraging frontiers for him. I think he enjoyed the opportunity to type whatever he wished on a fresh Word document. Here is what he wrote:
"I like worshipping God. My father is Karoli Shivachi and he is a small scale farmer. How can a young man make his way pure? It is by doing according to the word of God. During my free time I like visiting the sick also helping my grandmother do her work.

Daniel is the computer teacher for the several boys here. He was my escort most days from Nakumatt to the interior of the slums. And Ruth is a college student who attends Word Fellowship Centre. She embraced me as a friend from the first time we met. She also lives in Kibera and is so grounded. Like all the students I've met here, their raw, firm faith in God and Jesus Christ astounds me and teaches me too about God's unshakeable faithfulness.

The words with which Richard ended his practice document are true: ”Katharine was amazed at the strong faith of those in Kibera, despite their small amount of resources.”