Mathare and Kibera Slum Classes

Today we had a couple self-defense classes for women scheduled. This first was at a church in the Kibera slum in Nairobi. This is the largest slum in Africa and third largest in the world. We drive past it going to and from the airport, and on other trips. I’ve wanted to get a footprint there for the self-defense team since I started teaching in Kenya in 2019. This was the first of what I hope is many to come.

We started off on main streets to get there, calling for directions repeatedly. We finally found the turn we were looking for.

Most people looking at it would have thought it was a pedestrian walkway. The good news is it had pavers. The bad news is that the pathway was barely wide enough for the van, at the widest points. At the narrower places, we had to wait for people to move carts and tables before we could get through. 

We had to turn off the path, onto something that, incredibly, was even skinnier at the start. We crept down that to a police substation, where we were meeting our guide to get to the church. Tracy was there waiting for us. 

We discussed plans. Thomas, Virginia, and Claudia were leaving us there to go shopping for a sewing machine. More on the machine in my next post. That meant Wangari, Sean, and I were now on foot. We opted not to take the mattresses for the class, so we didn’t have to carry them. 

At this point, I’ve walked a lot in slums, but this one is different. It is known for a high crime rate. I was in full security mode. No visible cell phone, carrying as little cash as possible. Keeping an eye on everything around me at all times. Making eye contact with anyone who looks at me.

We had to walk about a half mile to get to the church. I drew lots of attention. I’m pretty used to that at this point.

The pictures through the windshield are on the first pathway.

The below pictures are from outside the police substation.  We left the unga (flour) there so we didn’t have to carry it all the way to the church. I didn’t know what the plan was to distribute it.

Below is the path leading to the door of the church. The blue walls on the right are the church.

Below, the class is assembling. We wound up with 20 women. They arrived in waves as Tracy rounded them up. When we are teaching adults, typically Wangari will teach the class, so she can do it in Swahili. 

Notice the wire hanging down, between the first two women on the right. It was live. Our team electrician, Wangari, spent some time tucking it out of reach before she would start.

This was a typical women’s class, with about a quarter of the women bringing babies, and stopping to nurse as necessary. A number of the women will have a baby strapped to their backs or chests. We work around the babies and teach them to do the techniques even with the baby strapped on. That is a legitimate real-life scenario.

The women attending had no idea what to expect of the class. They’d never seen anything remotely close.

As we finished, we stopped for questions. The first one asked was “When are you coming back?” They all wanted more. We will work to make that happen.

Towards the end of the class, Tracy and two other tiny young women came carrying the unga into the room on their backs. Each bundle is about 53 pounds. Each attendee was given 4 kilos.

After the class, we had to walk out to the main road for Thomas to pick us up. It was probably ¾ mile. The walk was really interesting. Again, I attracted a lot of attention and comments. But nothing threatening. Just curious and/or wanting money. 

Above, commercial passenger van (“sacco”) loading zone. These vans get packed to the gills, but are a popular form of transportation.

We also went to our old friends at Inspire in the Ngong Mathare slum. The tire pathway is familiar to us, but is awkward to walk on. It was necessary this day, as muddy as it was.

Again, Wangari was teaching. She has gotten very good at it. 

This is a group of young mothers, and some friends who may be older. I’d met a number of them before. There were LOTS of kids. Some old enough to join the class, at least temporarily. Most were not.

We had a little time to spare at the end. I added a technique for defense from a hair pull. I had originally included this in the curriculum. But in school all the girls either have short hair or short braids. So there’s nothing to grab. But many adults will have longer hair. I will sometimes add the technique to the class for them.

Below, a volunteer puts the hurt on me with the technique.

And the unga had to be carried on the tires to the class, and distributed. The women are very grateful for the food. The ugali that they make with the unga is a staple of the cuisine, and very filling.