Just a few lines to wish you Safari Njema, that is to say “Have a good journey!” You
will certainly wonder what sort of journey it is….Well, it’s a journey which will make
you find out about a special world like Korogocho, one out of the over 200 slums in
Nairobi, Kenya. A slum like many others, surely too many, that you can find in many
parts of the world. Consider that nowadays one billion people live inside slums in this
wonderful but complicated world! That is to say that 1 person out of 6 lives in a social
reality where day by day he has to fight poverty and social alienation without any
support either from the government or local authorities, and under the threat of being
left homeless overnight. According to the latest survey carried out by U.N. Habitat,
70% of African town dwellers live in slums……..
Nairobi can be taken as a symbol of fast growing urbanization as well as an example
of social, economic and political apartheid. The city has a population of 4 million
inhabitants but 2,5 million live in over 200 slums covering less than 5% of the whole
urban area. The animals of the National Park nearby have got much better living
conditions than Nairobi slumdwellers. And this 5% of land belongs to the Government
or to the local authorities…..but sharks have built and are still building huts illegally
charging dwellers incredibly high rents !!! This it’s doubly illegal, and makes social,
economic and political apartheid grow bigger and bigger since the Government does
not interfere at all and speculators are left free to exploit slumdwellers making a real
fortune. Well, this is the journey we would like you to make with us…! Nairobi is only
one example of the many cities in the world where injustice is the rule, cities full of
slums, favelas, barrios, bidonvilles, baraccopoli ! And Korogocho is the symbol of the
many slums of this world.
The aim of this website is to get in touch and make friends with many wonderful
people who work hard in similar slums all over the world. It’s a means to make this
dreadful reality known outside the slum, throughout the planet …..but you will be also
surprised by a reality full of energy and life. What strikes you most when you meet
slumdwellers is their love of life in spite of their sufferings…and that love is the same
wherever they live in the world or wherever they are from. In Korogocho we live with
our missionary religious community but also with women, children , young and grown
up people who work hard for a Better World. So that life can be really Full Life for
everyone !!!!
In our website you will find articles about life in slums, thesis, comments, reflections,
photos, projects, letters from missionaries and young people living in Korogocho, new
links and the W Nairobi W Campaign……Most of them will be in English and in Italian,
because we intend to build up a bridge with other realities working in countries facing
the same problems, in the hope to join our efforts towards a common goal, in spirit of
solidarity, support and friendship.
Our network is open to all those who are sensitive to the cries of poor, sympathize
with them sharing our projects for better living conditions, but especially to those who
are aware that such a journey, being a “journey of life”, will bring out a change of life
in those in need as well as in those who support them.
Fr, Daniele, Fr. Paolo, Gino and Luca
and the Christian Community of Korogocho.
