Student Reflections from Kiberapalooza

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Our volunteers spent the morning at Red Rose and the afternoon at the third annual Children of Kibera Foundation festival of performing arts for Kibera’s high school students. For the evening reflections, we asked students to write about a moment of pure joy that they had experienced. Here are some of the reflections four of our student volunteers shared.

“Today during break at Red Rose, a girl in class six came up to me with a letter. She was not at Red Rose two years ago and I have not talked to her enough, so I don’t know her as well as the other kids. She handed me an envelope that says “I love you” on the front. I asked her when I should open it, and she said “Right now!” Inside the envelope were a small handwritten note and a photo of herself. In the note, she introduced herself and said that she included the photo so that I would never forget her. I was so happy with her thoughtfulness and eagerness to connect with me.” — Student One

“Today at the third annual Children of Kibera Music Festival, 13 high schools from around Kibera took part by performing skits, dances, and songs all related to the topic of the new constitution, also known in kiswahili as “Katiba Mpya.” There were so many moments of joy this afternoon. We saw high school students from Kibera having a venue to share their talents with their community. There was a lot of pride and confidence in their performances. Knowing that this foundation made this festival possible for the community today was a moment of pure joy that I experienced today.” — Student Two

“After the last performances at the festival today, we got a chance to dance with everyone. It was amazing to me to see the power of music and to see how much joy that brought everyone. I remember looking at this one girl who was dancing and I started to smile and she put out her hand, even though I was horrible at dancing. She had never met me before. We laughed, and I was not able to keep a smile off my face for a long time after that.” — Student Three

“The music beat loud in my head and all around. I just stepped away from my impromptu dance instructor and into the vibrations above a tiny Kiberan child. His eyes darted up toward me and my hands came down towards him. For a minute, we saddled our shoulders. For a moment, I lifted him into the air, his feet dangling above the dust. He looked up again and his cheeks drew tight. His teeth reflected the crowded sunlight.” — Student Four