Kibera Kids4Peace Parents Day

Kibera is a rough place to grow up. Not only is it filled with trash, open sewage, danger and overcrowding but there is also an underlying tension because of ethnic differences. The children grow up in an environment rife with ethnic gossip and prejudice, high unemployment, drug and alcohol abuse and illness. It is difficult to grow up harmoniously within that environment .
After working with the children for several months we started to see conflict and division within the Kids4Peace group. Because the tension originates at home, we decided to invite the parents to attend a Harambee Arts group with their kids. The parents agreed and were encouraged to express and explore feelings, thoughts, grievances and challenges of living in the slums. The children led the group that day and served their parents by passing out paper and paints and also guiding them on how to use the materials for the first time. They were models for their parents.
Many issues came to the surface in the art work including violence experienced, inhuman living conditions including lack of toilets and the volatile relationships amongst neighbors based on tribal differences.  Some of the parent's paintings portrayed cruel husbands beating their wives and some of the children’s paintings portrayed a mother or a teacher beating a child. The cycle of violence was clear. Alice, a grandmother who is raising four of her grandchildren, wrote on her painting,  "Solidarity should be the solution. Peace should be our umbrella." It was a good day that included planning a potluck celebration for the following week where the families could come together as Kenyans. Sixty people attended the party that included great food, dancing and playing games.