Lighting Lives at the Largest Garbage Dump on Earth

WHEN WE TOLD THESE STUDENTS THAT THEIR NEW LIGHTS WOULD ALLOW THEM TO DO MORE HOMEWORK, THEY ACTUALLY CHEERED WITH JOY!

Watts of Love’s most recent light mission was completed on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya─ East Africa’s most populous city and the largest urban slum on the continent. By partnering with Kenya Children’s Fund, we were able to provide each student currently enrolled in the Kinyago-Dandora School with a new solar light.

Often, the alleys of Dandora are lined with rows and rows of recently hand-washed clothes. I now look at my wahser and dryer in a completely different fashion. #gratitude

Despite consistently being ranked among the top 10 most corrupt countries in the world, according to the watchdog group Transparency International, Kenya provides shelter to nearly a quarter million refugees from Somalia, Uganda and Sudan who have fled varying degrees of terror in their home countries.

After taking this girl’s picture, I showed her a few of the photos. She covered her smile and laughter with her hand and suddenly became shy. I was honored that the photos made her see herself as beautiful despite her dismal surroundings.

“When I first entered the Dandora dump site, I had the feeling that for the first time in my life, I had entered a place that all humanity, dignity, joy and hope had been completely eradicated. I was wrong.” ~Kevin Kuster

When we delivered lights to the family pictured here, we were invited into their 6'x8' shack to see where they live each day under the sprawling heat of the dump site. Words cannot describe their living environment and no one should ever be exposed to these kinds of living conditions.

“In the moment of taking pictures, I never find it hard to create the images. However, when I relive the moment as I do when I write about my experience, it absolutely crushes me emotionally.” ~Kevin Kuster

Most of the homes in Dandora are built from the trash, waste and garbage.

Just outside of Nairobi lays the village of Dandora, which sits on top of what is widely regarded as the largest active garbage dump site on Earth. Here, the dirt roads are obscured by mounds of garbage and debris and it is not uncommon for a family of six to share a small, single-room shack.

As I was taking pictures with my mobile phone at the Dandora dump site, this little guy was all smiles. The moment I lifted up my DSL camera to take a picture, this face shows his response. I wonder why?

There is no running water in the village, no electricity and not a single toilet flushes. In the rainy season, Dandora becomes overrun with sludge and flooded garbage, and all year-round, it smells of decay.

We needed armed guards to travel with us at all times while in the garbage dumps in Dandora.

I found it fascinating that even in this garbage dump, there are behaviors and characteristics that you would see at any major business or company. After sifting through the trash all morning, this man takes a “coffee and bread” break with several others who live in the community.

Despite their current working environment, each person on “break” laughed, sipped coffee and discussed various topics, just like at any job I have experienced.

This photo captures the light in these happy students’ eyes, but it wasn’t from my photo flash— it came from their mounting sense of HOPE for a better future, starting with a brighter tonight!

But one beacon of hope remains a constant in this community, and that is the Kinyago-Dandora School (KDS) run by the compassionate people behind Kenya Children’s Fund.

Nancy Economou, founder and president of Watts of Love, and Ginger Palm, CEO of Kenya Children’s Fund educate students and staff on how to use their new lights.

The Kenya cup challenge.

We believe in the following three things: Every light tells a story.

Everyone deserves a chance.

And everyone is entitled to be the best person they can be in life .

Currently serving approximately 800 local students from pre-school to high school, the KDS curriculum is considered among the best in all of Nairobi, providing education, nutrition, medical and spiritual care for the impoverished children of Dandora.

Although all the windows at Kinyago-Dandora have bars on them and a few have broken glass, there is a hope, focus, drive and understanding from each student that their education is a complete gift as well as a blessing.

Upon entering the school and touring the facilities, it becomes evident that getting accepted to KDS, where children have access to two square meals, a nurse, and incomparable opportunity, is not unlike winning the lottery in this part of the world.

This mother and her five children were thrilled to receive their new lights, thereby eliminating some of the darkness in each of their lives.

When Watts of Love partnered with Kenya Children’s Fund to illuminate the entire school, the team immediately fell in love with the brilliant students who showed us an unparalleled desire to learn.

A pure moment of laughter.

Despite their everyday struggles and hardships to survive, I have never experienced such joy and happiness as I did with these children and teachers at Kinyago-Dandora.

Now, since distributing 1,000 solar lights and sending each child and teacher home with a lantern for their family, these students no longer have to cease learning when the school day ends and the sun goes down.

Kenya Children’s Fund and Watts of Love both strive for excellence.

They no longer have to strain to read a textbook page or to learn a trade, like sewing, in near-darkness. At last, KDS has access to the solar tools needed to foster optimal success.

Nancy enjoys a moment of pure love and affection with some of the KDS students.

Without a high school education, locals face little chance for employment, and in Kenya, more than 40% of the population is unemployed, according to the World Bank. Without the distinguished education provided by schools like KDS, all too often, children are forced into demoralizing trades like theft and prostitution in the effort to survive.

These high school students from Kenya Children’s Fund made the experience of giving out their new solar lights even more joyful than I could have ever imagined!

Even though this school is located in a very dark and dangerous place, cheers of joy, laughter and love can often be heard from within this courtyard.

Kenya Children’s Fund envisions a better, brighter future for these ambitious boys and girls, and the Watts of Love team feels very fortunate to have been a part of improving their lives.

Giving a light to this grandmother who is currently raising 10 grandchildren all by herself was one of the most meaningful and humbling experiences of my life.

“You can’t experience such extreme poverty and not be radically changed. I understand that life is all about imbalance, but seeing how some people are forced to live makes you understand that there is injustice in the world and it is up to us to be the agents of change!” ~Kevin Kuster

The complexity of poverty.

Light is the fastest route out of poverty, and coupled with an outstanding education, the possibilities have become limitless for these children, allowing them to read and study more efficiently, well into the night, and far beyond graduation.

LIGHT = EDUCTION

These smiles could light up any room.

Watts of Love would like to thank our wonderful partners at Kenya Children’s Fund for their support in making this distribution possible for the entire student body of KDS. We would especially like to extend our deepest gratitude to Ginger Palm for helping us achieve such immense success during our first-ever solar mission trip in Africa. We truly can’t wait to go back!

Click here to DONATE to Watts of Love and help spread light to the darkest areas in the world.

For more information, visit wattsoflove.org and kenyachildrensfund.org

Article Erica Whelan.

Photography and captions Kevin Kuster.

The begining of a great partnership.