Carolina for Kibera

This is a post by Contributor Lori Horst. To learn more about Lori, go to the About page.

I recently read It Happened on the Way to War, an autobiography by a Marine who discovered his life’s calling while he was meant to be fighting war. This Marine, Rye Barcott, is a North Carolinian who traveled to the world’s largest slum: Kibera, Kenya. Barcott was moved by his exposure to the people of Kibera to help change their lives for the better. This began a movement called “Carolina for Kibera.”

Here are a couple of ways to help:

1. Buy the book It Happened on the Way to War and take the time to read it. It is a very moving first-hand glimpse of what it is like to live in impoverished Africa and what we as Americans can and should do about the African plight.

2. Donate. Access the Carolina for Kibera website to send a donation. Consider sending your tithe for this month across the ocean to help feed and house the widows and the orphans.

3. Consider sponsoring a “Kick for Kibera” soccer clinic in your town to raise money for the people of Kibera.

4. Donate goods. Several goods are needed in Kibera that are commonplace to us in America. Look at the website for a list of goods. The address for Carolina for Kibera is:
Carolina for Kibera
301 Pittsboro St. Suite 3002
Campus Box 5145
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Phone: 1-919-962-6362
Email: cfk@unc.edu

5. Participate in “26 Days in Kibera” which is a 26-day-long experiment to teach Americans about what it is like to live in Kibera. By logging in on the website under the 26 Days tab, you will receive a list of 26 different ways to adjust your life each day to demonstrate the Kiberan existence. Example days are: Day 6: At sundown, turn off all electricity and perform all activities by candlelight. Day 9 Try to live on $2 today. Day 19 Go the entire day without putting trash in a trashcan. If 26 days is too long, chose 3 from the list and do them for a day.