Faces of Africa - Kibera Connected

Kibera is well known as one of the largest slums in Africa – a unique ecosystem within the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. 

Kibera, to many, symbolizes how some Africans get left behind. But to many residents here, this is a community that pulls together to overcome the challenges that make every day survival an issue for so many. 

National governments have come and gone, making promises to improve life in Kibera, often around election time. But many of those pledges remain unfulfilled.

While there have been gradual improvements, development efforts by both the government and international agencies have yet to meet the community's growing needs.

But technology could be coming to the rescue. 

Enter Tiger Zhao, a Chinese entrepreneur who, after visiting the neighborhood, saw an opportunity to help the local community. He established Konnect Internet, a company providing affordable access to the internet and helping residents understand how they can use connectivity to create opportunities and improve their livelihoods.

This isn't a charity. It is a business. But it is a business with a very different operational direction. 

Tiger has introduced what it calls a "hyper-local hiring" approach, recruiting residents of Kibera and training them in roles ranging from installation and sales to troubleshooting and community engagement.

He has built a team that is keen on developing their own skills and excited to have an impact on their neighbors. They are mainly young people, some with growing families, frustrated by the lack of opportunities, but keen to grow with Konnect.

Bernard Ochieng grew up here with his six siblings, crammed into a small apartment, until he grew too big. He moved out and got his own place, and his parents headed to Western Kenya, leaving him to eke out a living and look after his brothers and sisters.

Bernard did whatever he could to survive, turning to pickpocketing and even outright robbery when it was necessary. People in the slum think of this as "hustling," and it doesn't necessarily mean someone like Bernard is a "bad person."

In fact, Bernard has been employed by various international NGOs working on development projects in Kibera. One can easily see, as he walks down the street, how much respect and affection he inspires from his community members.

So, Bernard, who was seen as a kind of local chief, noticed workers laying cables as Konnect expanded its service into Kibera. He stopped them and asked who had given them permission to carry out the work. The workers connected him with their bosses, who, having come to understand the community, saw not an obstacle but an opportunity. They invited Bernard for a job interview.

He was hired! 

At first, he was trained to do installation. But his superiors, particularly Tiger, could see how much more he was capable of. 

Bernard knew who needed their service and could help the salespeople. He knew where they might get resistance and could handle opposition. 

Soon he became Konnect's Head of Security.

His story gets even better. Having fallen in love with one of his colleagues, working in an NGO, Bernard had turned to garbage collection to support his young bride when their development work was finished. 

Konnect now set Bernard up in a situation where he could afford a nice apartment; they even gave him a TV, and he and his wife Lorine Atieno were able to settle in with their newborn son in comfort.

Lorine went on to found her own NGO, SHEnergy for Change, which provides single mothers with skills and avenues for employment, helping them use the internet to promote themselves and their businesses.

For Tiger, the job is not done. While he has connected hundreds of thousands of Kenyans to the internet in a few short years, he has plans he hopes Bernard will help him to reach one billion Africans across the continent.

Tiger sees online platforms as a way to provide skills and expand access to education. He has also helped a young man set up a library for children who cannot afford school materials.

The library offers online classes, shared books and a quiet space where children can focus on their studies away from crowded homes and household distractions.

He also sees the internet providing jobs through online work, job searches, marketing skills and products, and even providing services connected to the internet in the community. One local theater owner has seen his profits exponentially increase thanks to Konnect's inexpensive and reliable internet.

Tiger and Bernard have come from vastly different situations to find themselves together in Kibera, working hand in hand to improve lives in this sprawling slum.

They can see the results of their teamwork every day. Young children smiling after a lesson. Young mothers taking home their family's necessities after visiting local shops with the required resources. Men grinning as they come out of the theater, having watched their favorite club vanquish their rivals.

There is a deep sense of fulfillment in improving the lives of people facing the many challenges of life in Kibera. For Bernard and Tiger, that sense of purpose is only beginning. 

As they expand their mission, they hope to bring affordable, reliable internet access to many more communities across Africa, creating opportunities and opening new possibilities for those who need them most.