Inspire Young Mothers’ Center

We taught this day at the Inspire Young Mothers’ Center. Above, Cameron has made a lifelong friend. Most of the kids are a bit scared of the mzungu. But not her. She came right up. My Fordham cap is a bit large for her though.

Inspire is in the Mathare slum in Ngong. They share space with a few other culturally or environmentally sensitive organizations. The above path leads into the slum. If you know the way, it leads to Inspire. Outsiders as obvious as we are aren’t always safe going into the slums. We usually have multiple locals with us, in front and behind. This time we only had Ebby, the leader of the organization. So I led the line and she had the back end. She was shocked I knew exactly where to go.

Above, Ebby is unlocking the gate for us. I spoke to Ebby between classes. She does a lot more than just Inspire. She runs a women’s rescue organization to help women safely get out of abusive relationships. She also runs classes for boys on preventing gender-based violence. Both of these really spoke to me.

About a year ago, we were at a school teaching a total of four classes. One teacher had observed all the classes very closely. Between the third and fourth class, she quietly pulled me aside and asked a question I hadn’t even thought of before. She asked if the self-defense techniques would work on her husband. I had to give her a two-part answer. I said that yes, they would work on her husband. But what I couldn’t answer was if she SHOULD use them on him. The problem was I had no knowledge of any safety network to help her get out of the relationship or what would happen if she did. I’ve now got Ebby’s contact information that I can provide to help other women in this situation.

The second is one I struggle with. With all the classes I provide, I’m only dealing with the symptoms of the problem. The real problem is the boys and men who are brought up to think it is OK to attack a girl or woman. I don’t know how to address that. And I’m afraid any attempts wouldn’t resonate coming from some old white dude from the US. Ebby and I are connected now.

Below is the center. A few of the mothers have assembled for the first class. The “graffiti” and murals in the room are great. “Go Green” is prominent. It is an organization set up by the owner of the building, who lives on the property.

In the two classes we did, there were about 45 women total. At least three were visibly pregnant. Probably 15 brought young kids with them. I’d guess 8 different women were nursing babies at some point in the classes. A few of the mothers were barely more than children themselves. We had a great time. They work hard and help each other along the way.

It is also safe to assume some of the children are the result of rape. Others likely were from the mother selling herself for food money.

The center has a small library of donated books for the mothers and kids.

The start of the class, before spreading them out more.

The women of the slums tend to be desperately poor. For some, that is what led to their pregnancies to start with. When we go there, I take food. A 2-kg bag of unga each is popular. This is a corn flour used to make ugali, which is a filling staple. Below, Ebby and I are handing out the unga. And just to put it out there, yes, the black stains on the ceiling of a number of these pictures are disturbing.

Below are two well-trained chickens. They attended both classes. Don’t mess with them.

The backyard/garden at the residence and center. The rocks keep it from getting muddy when it rains. Kale is growing everywhere.

Cameron below with his friend.

After the classes, we worked our way back out of the slum. The tires help when it rains to give you a surface to walk on that isn’t solid mud. But the spacing can be awkward to walk on.

Below is a young man who was very interested in us as we were loading into the car. He is apparently a big Nirvana fan. “Here we are now. Entertain us” seems pretty fitting for his approach to us.

While we were teaching, Ginger, Claudia, and Virginia had various errands to run. This included some shoe purchases and stopping by a kiosk where we know all the employees. They include Ronald and Wangari J’s mother from prior posts. Below, Claudia and Evans chat in the doorway.