Kenya is a diverse country that boasts a population of 40.8 million. Its tourism
industry is thriving and is the country's best source of income. As a country that has one of the best developed economies in Eastern Africa, it would be all too easy to overlook its problems. However Kenya is a low income country with most Kenyans living below the poverty level of $1 a day. The United Nations Development Programme’s human development index, a framework which measures a country's development in terms of life expectancy and standards of education and living ranks Kenya 148th among 177 countries.
The facts are that over 7.5 million people are living in extreme poverty with over 80 percent of Kenyans living in rural areas. Many of the rural population are forced to rely on their own farming for their food as well as income. Erratic and unpredictable changes in the climate have made an already difficult situation worse with droughts that frequently put millions of people at risk. With Kenya's growing population, this issue has the potential to become worse.
Despite a difficult and discouraging situation, it's a situation that can inspire change especially through education and a fairer distribution of wealth. Who sees the benefits of Kenya's thriving tourism industry and why are more than half of the country’s 31.3 million people poor ? Currently school fees are often out of reach for poor families, leaving each generation to continue trying to find work while lacking the education to advance. As we've established most work in rural areas comes from agriculture and so this is not always a steady supply of income. However implementing accessible education for everyone is a way of making progress and the most effective tool of empowerment there is. Education comes in different shapes and forms and its by giving people a skill- in and out of the classroom (and agriculture) that will make people aware of their potential and the kind of country Kenya can be.
Selina Nwulu
No comments:
Post a Comment