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Young people in Kibera, Kenya, which is known to some as Africa's largest slum, are determined to show a different face of the place where they live. With video cameras in hand, they scout the streets for stories to show the world how Kibera sees itself.
The project started in April 2010, spearheaded by Map Kibera and Kibera Community Development Agenda (KCODA). They began with just two young journalists and now the team is up to 14 young people who record the videos, edit and upload them to the web: not only to their own website Kibera News Network but also to Voice of Kibera, a site which maps their videos and also other news sent in by people via SMS and other mediums.
Kibera News Network in Kenya
Content is very varied: from job security issues, to reporting fires or train accidents, as well as cultural events and political activity. This next video, for example, shows how two young men have turned to a somewhat unusual, for Kibera, employment: they own and work at a beauty salon, providing services such as manicures as well as hairstyling:
In this other video we visit Kevin Irungu, a young man who earns a living from his art:
Both of the previous examples show how creativity and hard work pay off. However, for others in Kibera making a living is a constant struggle as demonstrated by these washerwomen who work hard and sometimes don't even get paid:
In Kibera, health is an important issue: open sewage trenches and high population density means that communicable diseases can quickly spread. Added to the fact that many people don't have the economic resources to buy medication a disease can easily turn into an epidemic:
You can see more of the videos in the Kibera News Network site or on their YouTube channel.
we are def getting there .