Air Pollution August 7, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: deases, digital story telling project, enviroment, pollution
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At times I really wonder if every God’s creation could talk what could they have said. Or maybe they communicate to us but we just don’t understand.
There is one creation that I know that would have really complained a lot, which is the air. This is very dangerous because the minute we tamper with the air we breathe the results is just death.
One air pollutant that I could speak off is our great cars. By the way their engines operate and then they emit thick smoke, one would think that they were there in the times of Noah. One thing is that this thick smoke will continue killing us and also our plants.
One time I boarded a minibus from home to town in Nairobi Kenya and there was this other minibus in front of us which emitted thick smoke from its exhaust pipe. We could not open the window but even if we closed them there were still some loop holes where the smoke got through. The mini bus that I was in was slow so we just had to keep some distance away from the other mini at least to stop inhaling the dangerous carbon.
Besides that, all our main roads are under construction which is a very good thing, but all the dust plus the carbon from the cars’ exhaust pipe inhaled by human beings will automatically cause one to have severe chest pains. Not only us humans but also when they cover the green plant planted besides the busy roads.
There’s one banana plant in a certain restaurant just besides road which looks like back planted bananas. I can say that for once, I have seen a black banana plant which is all because of the air pollution caused by the vehicles.
Diseases such as bronchitis, lung cancer, asthma and other chronic chest diseases are easily obtained from this smoke of which they are very fatal. At times I normally think that the problem is with the engine of these cars or the different types of oil that the owner puts in, but no matter the type of problem that there is, the thing is that repairs must be done fast to save great lives
save the life of the disabled child July 21, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, disabilties, street children
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Everyday something new never ceases to come up. I love digital story project because one gets to express him/herself and also speak about the things happening around his/her community.
There is something that has really been disturbing me, and its all about children. Everyday when you walk around the streets of Nairobi you will always find children on the streets, including some with disabilities. I was even surprised to find a child who was born lame on the streets begging for food and money. Yet we say they are the future leaders.
When a parent rises early in the morning and takes his/her disabled child outside and into the streets in the cold to go and beg, what really runs through his/her mind? Haven’t they heard that disability is not inability? That child could be disabled on her limbs but she is very able with her brains.
A man like Nick Vujicic (an Australian guy) was born without limbs and still lives on his life. He has been a great inspiration to both parents and children with and without disabilities. This guy even obtained a double bachelor’s degree, majoring in accounting and financial planning. All through the years he has had one dream of encouraging people and sharing with them the gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing his testimony on how Jesus Christ gave him life and hope.
Imagine being born without both legs and arms. You cannot walk, dance, shake hands with someone, run, clap your hands, and hug someone you really love. The only thing you could do is talk. At times I really wonder how the life of Nick Vujicic would have been if his parents had thrown him out in the streets to go and beg in order to survive.
These Kenyan street children, even those with disabilities, have a dream. They have a future and hope that one day they will become useful people in the society but we push them to the wall and watch them as their lives get destroyed. I believe that we can choose not to “DIS” the abilities of these children and therefore make this world great.
Dandora has a positive side too! July 16, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling, environment, poverty, theives
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Dandora is normally known as a town full of thieves, it hosts one of the largest dump site in Africa and for many other different reasons.
Apart from the negative factors of this town such as being high ranked in criminal activities , there are also the positive aspects of it such that there are many other youths with great potential, youths who are willing very much to change the name and the foundation of this town,Dandora.
There is just one problem that has just come up due to one of the biggest dumping site in Africa. The government is trying to manage the dumping site but it’s quite a challenge to them, due to the large trucks which deposit the dump at the site they have really damaged the roads.
Most of the dump before being deposited, falls off the trucks on the roads which later get driven on and then it becomes part of the road. The roads are now the dustiest of all roads in Nairobi. Now in addition to the bad smell from the dumping site there’s also dust from the roads. It is not only the bad smell but also many people have complained of getting sick due to the inhalation of dust emitted from the cars and roads.
Once there was a beautiful road in Dandora, but now it’s a road full of potholes and dust, increasingly, the world around us looks as we are despising it, because why would you spoil the place other people call a home, the thing is that we will no longer have a society, a place we can call a home if we continue destroying the environment.
It all starts with individuals; you must be the change you wish to see in the world. It has always ringed in my mind that whoever saves one soul saves the whole world
A child’s dream June 23, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, dreams, drug peders, youths and children
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Most of us are born and as we grow, we always have dreams and we have had them ever since the time we were born but one out of ten of the dreams that we have, really come true.
photo by Ricky
At times when one is just about to achieve them, a misfortune arises, and the dream no longer comes true.
I remember when we were children we could be asked what we wanted to become when we grew up, most of the children really went for higher positions like; doctors, engineers, teachers, policemen, drivers and many more different but great careers.
photo by Ricky
I always wanted to work with machines but throughout the life, I have been brought up with, I diverted to work with children to help them not pass through the life that most of us have gone through. I have lived to do it with great passion.
I never heard any of my friends’ say they wanted to become thieves, prostitutes, hawkers, shoe shiners or become drug peddlers. I also never heard any of them say that, when they grow up, they want to die but it’s quite unfortunate while others are achieving their dreams others have lost hope in life to the point of death.
People like Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln (16th president of the United States), Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Kipchoge Keino, Jomo Kenyatta (1st president of Kenya) and other great legends all achieved their dreams and also not forgetting father Arnold Grol ( the father and founder of Undugu Society of Kenya) who succeeded in making dreams come true.
There are many others who have made dreams come true but the question still remains, will the dreams of many other children who live in the slums be achieved? Will they live to achieve it especially now that cases of rape, murder, tribalism and corruption have continued to rise at a very high rate? All these and many more questions go unanswered.
It is my hope that, one day we will find answers to these questions and just like our great legends we will be able to come up with solutions which will transform our families and many other generations to come.
I believe our children can dream again and it won’t be in vain but they will live to see them come true.
Are we still a family? June 11, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling, environment, kenya, nairobi, poor hygine, poverty
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Are we creating a new family where pigs and people will live together? And if we are, should we also let them walk together with us on the streets?
photo byrickykinyanjui
It’s all about the biggest dumping place in Kenya and the second largest dumping site in Africa and you never know the rank that it has around the world, MUKURU. This dumping place has created a refuge for pigs, dogs and all kinds of birds, of all shapes and size and not forgetting our fellow country men and women and also young children. At times I see it may become a tourist resort for bird watching.
Look at it in this aspect that the dumping site is almost covering the road I live in nearby that place and at times I see that very soon the road is going to be blocked and there will be no way through.
photo by Ricky kinyanjui
Beside the dumping site being a haven for pigs and innocent men, it has also created a haven for all kinds of robbers and very dangerous gangs.
At times I also think that if one of the government officials were living there or even if the state house was situated around that area what could have been done? There is one thing that I really like a lot in matters that affect our community like this, is that one should really put him/herself in the other persons shoe and see him/her self in the same situation and see how much the community or the individual is being affected.
The government together should really come up with a plan to help these people. The roads are also being destroyed by the water flowing from the dumping site to the roads. Hear the people’s cries for help, save our roads and mostly our health.
All for love June 11, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, employees rights, kenya, nairobi, poverty
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If we continue lying to each other when will we ever get to the next level? If we continue taking advantage of those who are under us, who will be the next leaders? By the reason that one has more priorities than the other does not mean that he/she has no rights.
I am speaking about employees whose employers lie to them about certain issues like how much they will pay you while others undergo harsh treatments from their employers when they are supposed to encourage them even in times when they have done wrong and correct them.
I have come to realize that what goes around comes around; we all need each others support because we can never do it on our own. For instance the employer would have never be called an employer if there were no employees, the president himself could have never been called that name if there were no people to govern.
We all need each other and if it were not so, we could not have gotten our independence but because we came together and joined forces to fight for our land we got what we wanted. The Holy bible itself speaks about love which is the golden commandment. But because most of us see that the other person is very useless because he/she is not of your class/level you end up despising one another or using one another for ones selfish benefits.
There is one thing that really hits me on my mind when I think of despising another person is that imagine if it were me being treated the same way or just put yourself in the other person’s shoe and see if you were the one being looked down upon, how would you feel? And I really believe one thing that one day the other person is going to rise the sure thing is that you will need him/her some day. Love will make us rise to the next level and it’s only the thing that will keep us going. If the same love continues then we shall treat others the way we ourselves want to be treated by telling each other the truth and not using them as instrument for one’s own benefit.
CHILDREN,YOUTH AND EDUCATION May 31, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, education, poverty, street children, youths and children
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Education is a necessity that most of us need. Most of the youths in our slums seem not to understand the importance of education.
There is a young humble boy who lives in slum in Dandora, a place where many people have taken to be a very dangerous place in Kenya as a result of notorious thugs being born and brought up there.
photo by Ricky
He is an orphan but to him, this has never been a challenge. Despite, not being able to go to school, as a result of lack of school fees One thing that always keep him going is his dream and vision that one day he will be an important person in the society. He has been through a road full of terrains and his aspiration is not to let his future generation go through what he has been through.
One thing that keeps pestering him is when he comes across young boys and girls loitering along the streets instead of going to school, yet some of them come from wealthy families. Some of them hope to stay at home with their age mates chewing miraa, smoking bhang, while some offer their bodies for commercial sex.
To most of the young people education seems to be punishment to them. It’s importance will only be visible to them if they spent some few months in the streets and see what life in the streets is all about, they would get to understand that education is not a punishment, rather, it is a great favor their parents are offering them, that will help shape their lives in the future.
I am not a parent but if I were, out of which I am going to be, I would not want my children to pass the same road that I passed, I would never like them to look back to their lifetime and speak out the words,’’ I wish I knew,’’
photo by ricky
It will be a big disappointment if they ever say it is because of my dad or mum that my life is this way and I wish that this may be the prayer of other young people who are out there, that if by any chance they get a chance to be educated let them not waste their time in anything else for this is a treasure that they are holding in their own hands.
There is only one way of changing this generation and that is having a dream and striving to achieve it and in everything put God first.
Be educated in the world bible, be educated in the books, and let us not perish for lack of education.
EFFECTS OF THEFT May 7, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, drugs, rape cases, thugs, youths and children
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It is quite amazing how people usually do evil things which at the same time are very enjoyable, but we end up regretting later. Many are the times, we know what we are doing is wrong, but we keep on doing them.
With the rape cases rising rapidly and less justice being taken against the culprits, people have began to see its dangers, when fathers started raping their daughters. Another vice is theft, whereby, a child gets warned on the dangers of theft, but he/she will continue stealing, until the police shoot him/her, or he gets beaten up by the mob.
I learnt the dangers of theft through experience. My uncle who was a legend at it, opened the eyes of many, be it his friends or the neighbors, as a result of his death. His mother, who was a seller of the illegal brew, ‘changáa,’warned him uncountable number of times, but he hardly listened.
After living a life applying the principle of ‘better to live once rich than to live all your life being poor,’ the police shot him dead on the head and chest.
And this culture of regretting at the edge of death or living a miserable life will continue if we do not heed advice. Instead, we should create a culture of listening more, talking less and taking time to digest things. This will enable us create a great future for the next generation to come.
MY DREAM April 22, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, education, leaders, poverty, street children, street life
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My name is Ricky. I was not born in the streets but as time went by, my parents died after contracting HIV/AID’s. Later on, I found myself on the streets, as I had to hustle for what to eat, clothe on and a place to shelter.
I joined some of my friends whom up to now, I think they were God sent at the time I was desperate. I felt lonely and nothing good could come out of me, thought of how useless I was, to the extreme of feeling that I was an outcast.
It came a time, after staying with my friends for quite some time; I decided to go back to my grandmother’s place. My stay there had not taken long, when one of the tenants living next to us, hanged himself. I could not believe it. I asked myself why I was to remain behind, but something kept on holding me back. Luckily, I did not do it.
Most of the time I would seat on my bed and cry uncontrollably, regretting why my parents had to die. My fellow friends, who were then in school, and others even in jobs continued to encourage me and so I continued to live with each and every day, begging for money, food and even clothes. As time passed by, I came to know of a person who really cared about me and loved me so much that that He not only died for me but also for the whole world and this was Jesus Christ.
As I was introduced to a project called Digital Story Telling Project which is learned by Undugu Society of Kenya, I came to realized that I was not alone but there were others like me who also have such problems like me. I’m in a particular fellowship known as F.O.G (friends of God) where I have grown spiritually and also our church which has really helped me to grow knowing that I was not alone. As I listen to their testimonies I really desire that I could do more than just listening.
I know I am not educated since I only reached form two. I believe that, a day will come when I will do something great to help change this generation. I have great hopes that we can surely wipe out poverty, rape cases, use of harmful drugs and save our youths. We are the leaders of today and not tomorrow because change starts with us.
The only thing I ‘m praying for is that my dream of helping more than a thousand youths around the world or even more may come true. I desire to study journalism so that I may be able to air out people’s views, start a talk show, emulating my role model,’’Dr. Phill.’’
I believe that through our different efforts joined together, something divine may happen. I also believe that through the dream of a new dawn may appear upon the lives of those who live on the streets.
Enviromental Degradation April 14, 2010
Posted by rickykinyanjui in Uncategorized.Tags: digital story telling project, diseases, drug abuse, heath, smoking
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Now, I understand why the city council has decided to put up a smoking zone in the city center. Every day when I go home from Westlands, I pass through the busy roads of Nairobi, one has to go through cloud of gases emitted from the vehicles along the busy road.
photo by Ricky
Globe Cinema in Nairobi, there is a smoking zone which has been put in place for smokers. Every time I pass by that place to board a bus to take me home, I’m quite surprised, as I never miss to find more than five people smoking and especially most of them are men.
The place is full of dust since it is a busy road and not fully tarmacs ked. Emission of gas from the vehicles leads to lots of mysteries. Are these people unaware that they are putting their lives at risk? They are entirely putting their health; especially the lungs in danger because they are inhaling the dust from the cars, dust itself and direct smoke from their own cigarettes.
They not only cause danger to themselves but also the public at large. There is also the issue of dust bins along the car boarding areas. There is more of garbage than the people boarding the vehicles. It has really gone to the extreme of blocking the pavements, till people have to walk on the road.
We should really preserve our environment, it first starts with the community and then it proceeds on to the government. Pollution of air can really damage our lives and the lives of our children.
Divided we fall, united we stand.
