Famous, Rich And In The Slums
3rd Mar 2011
The first instalment of a two-part documentary, which follows four famous faces as they experience what life is like in one of Africa’s largest slums, will be aired tonight on BBC One.
The moving and poignant programme sees Comic Relief supporters, Lenny Henry, Angela Rippon, Samantha Womack and Reggie Yates, left to fend for themselves for a week in the make-shift city. Leaving all home comforts behind, the four have to sleep in cockroach-infested huts and try to find work to earn enough to survive.
BBC Radio One DJ Reggie bags himself one of the highest paid jobs in the slums - emptying raw sewage from the public pit latrines. Funny man Lenny works as a vendor, but agonises over whether to take his daily wage, which his boss could spend on vital medicine for his sick child. EastEnders star Samantha gets a cleaning job in a clinic where she witnesses shocking and emotional scenes and Angela joins a queue of women offering to wash clothes. Soon she discovers the shocking reality of the choice these women must make if they don't get picked.
Reflecting on his experience, Reggie Yates said: “Kibera is hard. Full stop. It’s a slum, so basic living conditions and seeing so much poverty beats you down every day. Seeing some of the extreme things people do to survive - be it prostitution to feed their family or become an alcoholic to escape – was the hardest thing. And I met a really inspiring set of people.”
The famous four are hoping that their time in Kibera will highlight the plight of people living there and help to raise money for Comic Relief.
Tune in tonight to see how they get on.
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