0:00:02 > 0:00:03You ready?
0:00:19 > 0:00:21- My name is Alex Ochieng. - My name is Bophine Ochieng.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24BOTH: And we live in Chocolate City.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27MUSIC: Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes by Paul Simon
0:00:27 > 0:00:31It's called the Chocolate City because when it rains,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33the streets turn to liquid mud.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38But most people know it as Kibera slum.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43A million people live here, and thousands of us are kids,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45living and playing on the streets.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51Some of us even sleep rough.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54But that doesn't stop us going to school and getting on in life.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59We are dancers. We are acrobats.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01We are writers.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06'And we know a lot about how to get on in business.'
0:01:06 > 0:01:0930, 40. They gave us 25 shillings.
0:01:14 > 0:01:19So come and join our adventures on the streets of Africa.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22We are the kids from Kibera.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34This is our home.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40In the heart of Nairobi, Kenya, Kibera slum stretches for miles.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Down a narrow alley is the Fruitful Center.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51It's an orphanage and 30 of us live here,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53sleeping, eating and playing together.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Meet Beatrice, the lady in charge.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Alex and Bophine, please make sure you shower properly. OK?
0:02:04 > 0:02:06She can be pretty scary.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Make sure you shower everywhere.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10But she cares for us all.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21My name is Bophine, I'm 11 years old and I live in Fruitful Talent Center.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26My name is Alex, I am 11 years old and I live in Kibera, Kenya.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29These two are new in the orphanage.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34Bophine is always laughing now, but he had a tough start to life.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38When he was seven, his parents disappeared
0:02:38 > 0:02:40in election violence.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42He never saw them again.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47Bophine ended up alone on the street, but then he met Alex.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Alex had also been living rough after his parents abandoned him.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05The boys became best friends.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24In Kibera, we survive on the streets by collecting and selling
0:03:24 > 0:03:25old plastic bottles.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29It's the best way of making money to buy food.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34But now they are living in the orphanage,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and every day starts like this.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Moses said to them...
0:03:39 > 0:03:42ALL: Moses said to them...
0:03:42 > 0:03:46It's really hard to concentrate sometimes,
0:03:46 > 0:03:48but some lessons here are really fun.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56We are learning how to be acrobats and dancers.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Our star performer is the smallest in the centre.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07My name is Tifa, I am seven old years.
0:04:07 > 0:04:08I like acrobatics.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Like most of us, Tifa had a really tough start in life.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19She was abandoned and left on the street as a toddler.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Jojo is their teacher.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31He is the best acrobat in Kibera.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37We are rehearsing hard
0:04:37 > 0:04:40because, in three days, we are doing our biggest show ever.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45World Circus Day is coming.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54When Alex and Bophine were on the streets, they slept rough,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and some children still do.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01My name is Cleophus and I am 11 years old.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05I live under a market stall and sleep in a sack.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I sleep here because I have no parents.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16Cleophus was also separated from his parents in the election violence.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21He still doesn't know if they are alive or dead.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25He lived with an aunt, but she treated him cruelly
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and he was forced onto the streets.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30I worry about my safety
0:05:30 > 0:05:33because there are bad men and dogs around here at night.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39For two years, he has been living under the stall.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41It's owned by a shopkeeper called Grace.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45It's a hard life,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48but Cleophus is talented.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50He writes stories and songs.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53# Holy, holy, holy God's fire
0:05:53 > 0:05:56# Let the diamonds go to the fire
0:05:56 > 0:05:58# Let them suffer their life on fire
0:05:58 > 0:06:01# Say holy, holy, holy God's fire. #
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'In the morning, my job is to sweep up all the food
0:06:11 > 0:06:13'from the night before,
0:06:13 > 0:06:18'then I carry it through the streets of Kibera, then throw it away.'
0:06:20 > 0:06:24After breakfast, I get ready for school and pack my bag.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Everything Cleophus owns is here - even his school uniform,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33which he washes in the shop every night.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37Although he doesn't have much, he wants to do well.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42This school was specially set up for street children.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46I arrive at school by six o'clock.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52Nobody else is there, and it is a good time to practise my reading.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56"All through the night,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58"Avril counted, but she could not sleep."
0:06:59 > 0:07:04Everybody in Kenya learns to speak English, and I am working hard.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09Two can go here six times and two can still go here 15.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11Give me a hand if you know it.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14- 13.- 13? Good.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21With World Circus Day just three days away,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Tifa and the rest of us have a lot of practising to do.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34The acrobat show ends with us making a tower of kids.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38It's Tifa's job to climb right to the top.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Most of us are getting there, but where are Alex and Bophine?
0:07:52 > 0:07:54They are back on the streets.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21When Alex and Bophine were living rough,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23they discovered rich people's rubbish
0:08:23 > 0:08:26often contains really valuable stuff.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35They might get 20 shillings for these shoes -
0:08:35 > 0:08:37that's about 15p in the UK.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40And there's more.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43HE LAUGHS, COINS JANGLE
0:09:04 > 0:09:07The dealer's called Mama John
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and the boys have known her for years.
0:09:15 > 0:09:184kg of bottles gets 10 shillings - that's 8 pence.
0:09:30 > 0:09:31Now for the shoes.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33TRANSLATION:
0:09:48 > 0:09:5140, 50.
0:09:51 > 0:09:5250 bob.
0:09:56 > 0:09:5920, 30, 40.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02One, two, three, four, five and 50.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17- MAN:- Has it been a good day? - Yes.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Yeah!
0:10:20 > 0:10:24But they had better hurry back before Jojo spots
0:10:24 > 0:10:26they are not in the rehearsal.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49SCHOOL BELL RINGS
0:10:49 > 0:10:52While Alex and Bophine head back to the orphanage,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Cleophus is just leaving his school.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58After school, I like to play football.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01My favourite teams are Barcelona and Chelsea.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06He can't go back to Grace's shop until the evening,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08so he needs to find other children to play with.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13It's not easy.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Friends are hard to find today.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32But if you love football, you'll find playmates somewhere.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50That's the thing about Kibera -
0:11:50 > 0:11:54there is always someone there for you if you search hard enough.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Kibera is just one part of a much bigger place.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Most of us kids have never been to the centre.
0:12:24 > 0:12:28But for World Circus Day, we will be performing our show
0:12:28 > 0:12:29in a big city park.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43It's 6am in the orphanage.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46There are just two days to go before the big event.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Alex and Bophine are back in their team.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32But they'll need to work a bit harder than this.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34They'd rather be out hustling.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Tifa is doing really well, though.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58GIGGLING
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Tifa has also been lined up for a special job.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06Tifa, you should be the one in front, you know?
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Our old acrobat costumes were ragged and torn,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15so we are getting some new ones made from Kenyan flags.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Now, I want all of this material
0:14:18 > 0:14:22to be, like, to be full of vests and shorts.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26The only thing is, they have to be ready tomorrow.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- What is your name?- Bophine Ochieng.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32But tailors in Kibera are really fast.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36They are straight down to work.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44As the tailors get busy, Alex and Bophine seize their chance
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and slip away for more hustling.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56They are not the only kids doing business today.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03If they stay, then they will be our friends.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Alex and Bophine should be rehearsing with Jojo
0:15:17 > 0:15:20at the orphanage, but this is much more fun.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36Business is a bit slow today.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45They are planning to trick Mama John.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17The can with the stone is hidden in the bottom of the sack.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40DANCE MUSIC PLAYS
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Back at the orphanage, the rehearsal is going well.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Jojo still hasn't spotted Alex and Bophine are missing.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08So, we are going to start again from the top,
0:17:08 > 0:17:11and I want a strong team that can perform.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Is that OK? So we are going to start again, the song.
0:17:14 > 0:17:15SONG PLAYS AGAIN
0:17:26 > 0:17:29At Mama John's, it's the moment of truth.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Will she spot the trick?
0:17:46 > 0:17:48Bophine is trying to distract her.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Bophine puts the blame on Alex.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19They are busted.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28But Mama John has a kind heart,
0:18:28 > 0:18:31and she is still giving them 25 shillings.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46That is the deal I just did.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Tomorrow, I want everyone to be here by 8am.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16On the other side of town, we are having a break from rehearsals.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Jojo heads off with Tifa to collect the new costumes.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26And Alex and Bophine slip back through the door.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28No-one spotted they were missing.
0:19:31 > 0:19:32- Hi, Fhundi.- Hi.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34I came to collect the costumes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:3915 shirts, 15 shorts, right?
0:19:39 > 0:19:40You can count them.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45One, two, three, four...
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- 14?- 15.- 15. Very good, carry these.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Aaacch!
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- OK, we go. Thank you, Fhundi. - Thank you.- Bye-bye.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15- Are we together? ALL:- Yes!
0:20:15 > 0:20:17You want to plan for tomorrow's show?
0:20:17 > 0:20:22OK, we will start with the dance then we come back to the acrobats.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24OK, let's start. DJ.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Across Kibera, night is falling and Cleophus heads back to Grace's shop.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45In Kenya, it gets dark at six o'clock.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Grace makes me a hot drink and I do my homework.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Since his parents went missing,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Grace is the nearest thing to a mother than Cleophus has.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Grace is the one who is my mother,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04because she cares for me a lot.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09It is in the evening that I make up my stories and songs.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17'It was one evening when the sun was setting and the moon was coming.
0:21:17 > 0:21:24'I went to sleep and then I started to see the angels crying for me.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27'I was crying with a sad face,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30'but then I found my family
0:21:30 > 0:21:32'and they went with me to heaven.'
0:21:35 > 0:21:40When I grow up, my biggest hope is to be a pilot or a writer,
0:21:40 > 0:21:45but at the moment, my biggest hope is to get a proper bed.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08ALL: Today is World Circus Day!
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Have you done enough practising?
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Yes!
0:22:11 > 0:22:12Why? I haven't seen anything.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- I am happy... - ..because it is World Circus Day.
0:22:18 > 0:22:19What?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23- This is World Circus Day. - ..because it is World Circus Day.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- I'm excited...- I'm excited. - ..and I am happy very well.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I am happy every well.
0:22:30 > 0:22:36Jojo gives us a final talk before we set off for the show.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Now, Tifa, tell me, how do you feel about today?
0:22:52 > 0:22:53Yes!
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Tifa, Alex and Bophine have never left Kibera before.
0:24:08 > 0:24:09All right...
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The new costumes look great - but how will the performance go?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45Bophine seems confident, but we're all really nervous.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51It's the fifth World Circus Day, courtesy of Sarakasi.
0:24:51 > 0:24:58- And next on stage is...- Yes? - ..Kibera Fruitful!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01CHEERING
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Whoa! Yeah, yeah!
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Ay, ay, ay, ay, ay!
0:25:08 > 0:25:09Ay, ay, ay!
0:25:20 > 0:25:21CROWD CHEERS Beautiful.
0:25:24 > 0:25:25Oh!
0:25:36 > 0:25:38It's Tifa's big moment.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44Will she make it?
0:25:50 > 0:25:51CROWD CHEERS
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Well done, Tifa!
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Jojo is really pleased with us all.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Thank you very much for working together as a team
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and making sure that everything was successful.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Once again, thank you very much! Clap for yourself.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26THEY CLAP
0:26:45 > 0:26:48So that's us, the kids from Kibera.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And you know what?
0:26:51 > 0:26:55Our hopes and dreams aren't that different to yours.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16MUSIC: Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes by Paul Simon
0:27:17 > 0:27:20And one dream has already come true.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Cleophus' teachers bought him a bed
0:27:23 > 0:27:27and he has moved in next to the classroom.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Now he can write his stories under proper light.
0:27:33 > 0:27:34So good night, my friends.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Lala salama, as we say in Kibera.