Not only is this a great rhyme, it is a great way to begin. Little and little fills the measure; small things when combined together make up big things. I'll elaborate on this in a bit.
But first, if you didn't already know, I am currently writing from Nairobi, Kenya at the Holy Cross seminary where I am staying until Saturday, prior to my next few months in Kakamega, Kenya as an intern working for the Foundation of Sustainable Development. I will be spending most of my time in rural Kakamega about 6 miles outside of town in a small village known as Chavakali within the Vihiga county. I will live in Chavakali alongside a standard rural Kenyan family, the Amukunes, complete with a father, mother, 4 children, one niece, and one grandchild. Needless to say, I can always count on my new home for entertainment!
So what's the internship all about and why go?
The Foundation for Sustainable Development has partnered me with a local grassroots organization by the name Christian Partners Development Agency (CPDA) that originated as a response to a drought in 1985 that led to widespread famine across Kenya, particularly Kakamega. Since then, it has developed a programmatic focus separated into two categories: Governance and Democracy, and Integrated Food Security for Sustainable Livelihoods with the aim of uplifting the standards of the local, disadvantaged communities and empowering them to take charge of their own development.
At this point, I will most likely be doing work within the water and sanitation sector of the organization, but can pretty much choose what interests me most once I have gotten to know the community better.
Exciting right!!!
The challenge...
History
Lets have a brief history lesson and talk about Western aid to Kenya and the African continent as a whole. Legend here in Kenya tells that on the first day of Kenyan independence as a free nation (Dec 12, 1963) the country's new flag had gotten stuck as it was being run up the flag pole. Awaiting the bold fluttering of Kenya's new red, green, and black dawn, and surrounded by tens of thousands of hopeful new citizens, Prince Phillip (representing the Queen) turned to the newly elected, and well respected President, Jomo Kenyatta and told him, "Its not too late to change your mind." He was of course referring to the idea that Kenyatta surrender his new nation back to Britain under which the people of Kenya would remain unheard and oppressed. Today, due to Kenyatta's trust in his people, Kenya has come far and has developed to become more than a nation in name only. Kenyatta was crucial in the transformation into "Uhuru" or freedom, for the country while maintaining peace, despite a bitter past, with Britain. He declared to his people that "We are all human beings. We all make mistakes. But we can all forgive. That is what we need to learn in Kenya. Where I have harmed you, I ask forgiveness. We must put the past behind us." Kenyatta went on to say that those who are not welcome, are simply those who are unwilling to view the African people as neighbors, friends, and family, particularly those who would continue to consider themselves "bwanas" or masters, who have some unspoken superiority over the Africans because of race, class, and gender differences.
Kenya has done well to follow Kenyatta's guidance, but it is of great question whether we, the first world nations, are willing to respect and embody this idea of a human race; this idea of forgiveness; this idea of giving and receiving love; this idea that the only real nation, is humanity.
“We can [reduce] poverty if we start by looking at all human beings as part of a single global community that recognizes that everyone deserves a chance to build a life worth living.”
- Jaqueline NovogratzAfrica's three largest and most consistent problems after gaining independence have been poverty, lack of national identity, and poor distribution of rewards of office.
I think most would agree that the most prevalent concern is poverty.
Poverty by the Numbers
Let's have a look at the average African continent:
Population: 15 million citizens
Size: That of California (~190 sq miles)
Life Expectancy: 47
Pop. Growth: 2.2% per year
Unemployment rate: 15-35%
Rural: 2/3 population
City: 1/3 population (3/4 of which are slums)
Average income: ~$400 per year -- slightly more than a dollar a day
(~40% of the population lives below the internationally agreed measure of absolute poverty)
Health:
AIDS - 21% of all deaths
Respiratory Infections(Flus) - 10% of all deaths
Malaria - 9% of all deaths (2 children every minute of the year for Africa as a whole)
Diarrhea diseases - 7% of all deaths
Malnourishment/Hunger - 37% of all deaths
Other - 16%
Education:
Adult Literacy ~65% of population
Primary School - Less than 50% of children enrolled complete due to costs
Children ages 10-14 ~30% are part of the work force, not in school
Land:
Irrigated Land - 3.8%
Paved Roads - 13% of roads (more than doubles transportation costs)
Water ~42% of population lacks access to "improved" (reasonably clean) water sources
Waste ~50% of population lacks "improved sanitation" (non-hazardous waste environment)
Government:
Refugees/Displaced Peoples from across borders ~ 100,000
Budget - ~ $2.05 billion ($133 per person)
Debt - varies
Essentially, the average country government has to meet the public's needs for education, health, water, road building and maintenance, agriculture, infrastructure, policing, national defense, customs, revenue collection, foreign representation, environmental/animal protection, and civil services with $133 per person. WHAT?!
Given these numbers, and keeping in mind that this is an average (there is far worse), it is clear that families and government must make near-impossible choices and many sacrifices. It is this dilemma that is the hallmark of all poverty within Africa.
Depressed yet???
Well, there's still some hope, and after all if anything is to get better, something must be done, and taking risks is inevitable. Standing on the sidelines wringing our hands about politics, about every penny spent, and about running tightly controlled projects achieves very little. It is true that first world nations and even individuals have the power to improve security within Africa, but it also true that attempts at aid have failed the continent time and time again. Why is that? Well, with a world that is in a constant state of flux, it is crucial to understand that there is no one size fits all solution, nor will there ever be.
So that just makes the job harder right? Right. Impossible? No.
So what helps and how in the world am I gonna be of help?
"If you want to go fast, go alone - but if you want to go far, go together." ~African proverb
Development aid, whether it be charity aid, national aid, international aid, or simply volunteer visits like what I'm doing, is made most effective by ownership, capacity, and sustainability. What do these mean?
Ownership simply refers to the idea that the best way to find out what someone needs is to ask them. Capacity suggests that there's no point in giving aid if those intended to benefit from it don't have the capacity to use it. I consider sustainability most important, and the groundwork for development. The ideal of sustainability and of development aid is, simply put, to enable the abilities of the poor to meet their own needs, thus laying the foundation for continuous and effective change.
A sustainable project is the holy grail of development projects and its ultimately what I'm after as an intern. Since I will only be in Kakamega for nine weeks, I've come to face the fact that there's not a whole lot I can do to influence public policy and the likes.
So why am i going again???
Remember that first line? Haba na haba, hujaza kibaba. Well I'm here to do little things, to act locally, and to impact a community, by simply being there, and listening and observing rather than hearing and seeing. Would you ask a farmer from rural Kenya to tell you where to build a school in downtown Portland or how big it should be, or how many students it should have, etc? I sure hope not. It is absolutely necessary to be in solidarity among the Chavakali community in Kakamega to make any effective change at all. I liken the situation to a marriage, the couple (or maybe more if you're in Kenya) has to be in the same place at the same time with the same commitment. My personal aid won't solve Africa's problems as a whole, but there's a chance I can address specific symptoms in localized areas to make a real difference in the lives of individuals, families, and a larger community. I'm excited to enter into this commitment with the local community, and mostly I just can't wait to learn about myself, about my future, about Kenya, about culture, and about the power of the human race in action.
Next time I'll actually write about what I've been doing here in Nairobi for the past few days - a much more fun topic!
Until then,
Love Always Wins
-Brian
