Br Finbarr Murphy
De La Salle Brothers
Kenya
REACH magazine project
REACH magazine, through its trainees and the
aid of funding such as MDF, records the untold
story in the words and accents of the slum
people themselves.
Besides six pages of 'edutainment' REACH
vigorously advocates free primary education, a
right denied to about 1.5 million slum pupils in
Nairobi alone. We ascribe this ongoing, silent
scandal to the apathy of slum parents; the lack
of a united voice among slum school principals
who fiercely compete for pupils; dangerous
political activists who jealously guard the
status quo in the interests of their MP's; and
the commercial media's general neglect.
With REACH we want to 'link city and slums.'
Nairobi is a city divorced. One-third of its
children enjoy life in the fast lane, while
two-thirds are dumped in slums, Kenya's own
gulag. What future is there for such a
dysfunctional family? Yet there are patriotic
Kenyans whom we must engage as partners in the
struggle for social transformation A voice
voiceless at the grassroots, REACH is unique and
has developed to such a stage that it enjoys
enough "street cred" to make a difference. With
the work we have been able to do from MDF our
hope is for REACH to be circulated in Nairobi as
from May 2007.