Today was yet another amazing day with the Safe Spaces program here in Nairobi. So far I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of our program guides - Nish and Ndichu. They truly have welcomed us with open arms and are intent in showing us everything this city and the Safe Spaces program has to offer.
Today was our first 'official' day with the girls in the Safe Spaces program - the last two days we have been planning and adjusting. In terms of a first day - it was definitely jam packed! We visited the mechanic shop where some of the girls in Safe Spaces work and fix cars. It was amazing to see. They told me that women are not usually found in that type of work - fixing cars is typically a "man's job" so it's impressive that these women are breaking new barriers in Nairobi and showing the boys that they are just as (if not more!) capable. Without the Safe Spaces program, however, access to this type of position would be impossibe.
The afternoon was busy too - we watched the girl's play basketball and tried to keep up with them as best we could! The girls are so passionate about the sport - Safe Spaces arranges weekly games and practices and you can tell the girls relish the time on the court. Many of them told me that being good at basketball could mean an opportunity elsewhere - apparently some banks and office jobs hire good basketball players for positions within their companies. Again, without Safe Spaces, many of these young women would not have the chance to shine and receive recognition withing their communities. It was especially incredible to see how many locals turn up to watch the girls play - again - women playing sports in public is not a common sight in Nairobi, so many people turn up to see how the women will fare at the sport. I loved watching the looks one young children's faces as they watched how good these women were at dribbling down the court. I can only hope that this inspires them to break tradional roles and try new things as they grow older.
Aside from being with the girls - we spent quite a bit of time touring the slums of Nairobi and observing how over half of the city's inhabitants live. At one point during the day we took a ride in a Matatu which was such a unique experience. A Matatu is a small van crammed full of seats, and crammed even more full of people. They take passengers around the city and drive anywhere (even off the dirt roads) to get people where they want to go. Loud music plays in the Matatus and its quite a bumpy ride. I have honestly never seen anything like it - each Matatu even has its own name and unique paint job. Above is a picture of a Matatue - its not the one I was in, but I think it gives you an idea of what we were dealing with.
I can't wait for my next few days in Nairobi - we have classes and events planned with the girls and as I get to know them more, I have a feeling it is going to be difficult to leave this inspiring country....
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