Mombasa

On Saturday, Peter, the head of the organization that GSM works with in Mombasa, guided us through a couple of slums. It is pretty overwhelming to see all the changes necessary to improve the living conditions of the slum's inhabitants. Luckily our mission on this trip is not to solve the slum problem, maybe some day.

One of Peter friends guided us through the first slum, Bangladesh. He lives in this slum and invited us into his home for lunch. The accommodation everyone has given us has been amazing. The picture of the man and me is taken inside this home. The man sitting next to me is someone who saw us on the street and decided to tag along; none of us knew him, and I think he was probably a bit inebriated. Fred, Peter's friend, was kind of enough to invite him in as well. The man took to me very well, hugging me and pressing his face into mine as he posed for pictures.

The picture of me surrounded by children is in Bangladesh as well. I filmed a good part of that day, and most places I went children would run in front of the camera to get their picture taken or they would crowd around me to watch the viewfinder. I imagine it was a pretty novel experience for them.

The other picture of me set so majestically against the Mombasa cityscape is in Bangladesh as well, though I think the other slum we visited, Moroto, can be seen in the distance. The conditions in Moroto seemed worse than those in Bangladesh-more crowded and less sanitary.

-Cooper, intern